Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over his claim that opposition leaders created the hunger and poverty they now use to criticise his administration, accusing the President of shifting responsibility for Nigeria’s economic difficulties rather than addressing the hardship confronting millions of citizens.
Tinubu made the controversial remarks on Saturday in Kaduna during the flag-off of his 2027 presidential campaign, where he accused his political opponents of creating the economic conditions his administration was working to reverse.
“I hear my opponents talking about hunger and poverty. Who created it? They did. They created the hunger; they created the poverty. We are trying to eradicate it,” the President said at the rally held at the Ranchers Bees Stadium.
The remarks drew a sharp response from Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), who argued that Nigerians were more interested in knowing what the present administration had done to alleviate economic hardship than in hearing accusations against political opponents.
Atiku is not alone. The Makinde-Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation, which is backing Seyi Makinde’s presidential bid on the platform of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), dismissed the rally as political theatre and challenged Tinubu to account for the North’s experience under his administration.
The organisation accused the government of presiding over “bloodshed, crushing economic hardship, broken promises and shattered public trust”, insisting that Nigerians deserved more than campaign promises.
It declared: “No part of the country should be an electoral warehouse to be raided every four years and abandoned after victory.”
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) urged the President to focus on concrete measures to tackle hunger and insecurity, arguing that Nigerians needed practical solutions rather than political blame-trading.
“Nigerians cannot afford another campaign season filled with promises while families continue to wait desperately for the return of abducted relatives and communities remain vulnerable to armed attacks,” the organisation said.
The reactions have added to the growing political debate over who should be held accountable for Nigeria’s economic hardship, with opposition groups insisting that the administration must demonstrate measurable improvements in citizens’ living conditions rather than attribute the crisis to its political rivals.
In a statement issued on Saturday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku described Tinubu’s comments as either political amnesia or a deliberate attempt to evade accountability for his administration’s economic policies.
“Mr President, blaming the opposition for hunger is either delusion or a staggering case of political amnesia. The APC governed Nigeria for eight years before you took office. You have added another three and a half years. Nigerians know who has been in power, and hardship did not begin when the opposition started talking about it,” Atiku said.
He called on Tinubu to take responsibility for the country’s economic challenges, arguing that government decisions, including the removal of the petrol subsidy and developments in the foreign exchange market, had contributed to the rising cost of living.
Atiku also questioned the circumstances surrounding the inauguration of the Abuja-Kaduna highway, accusing the President of celebrating infrastructure projects while Nigerians continued to struggle with worsening living conditions.
“Your decision to commission the unfinished Abuja to Kaduna Expressway from inside a stadium shows how far removed you are from the daily reality of Nigerians. A road cannot be completed with a speech or a ribbon cutting ceremony,” he said.
The former Vice President challenged the administration to account for its economic record, raising questions about the depreciation of the naira, rising poverty, budget implementation, energy-related expenditure and Nigeria’s external accounts.
He cited World Bank projections on poverty, questioned reported spending on energy security and NNPC pipeline-related activities, and demanded explanations for a reported $12.4 billion gap in Nigeria’s external accounts for the first half of 2026 and $22.5 million in other charges associated with an Abu Dhabi financing facility.
Atiku also linked the economic debate to persistent insecurity, asking the government to account for killings, kidnappings and the displacement of communities across the country.
“You asked who created the hunger. Nigerians are asking what you have done to end it,” he said.
He described the 2027 presidential election as a referendum on Tinubu’s performance, arguing that voters would judge the administration by the effects of its policies on households, markets and communities.
“The 2027 presidential election will be a referendum on your record. Nigerians have felt the cost of your leadership in their homes, markets and communities,” Atiku added.
Highway commissioning becomes part of political dispute
Tinubu’s comments came as he inaugurated, through a symbolic ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Kaduna rally, an 81-kilometre section of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Dual Carriageway, identified as Lot 1.
The President used the occasion to defend his administration’s economic and infrastructure agenda, urging residents of Kaduna State to renew their support for him in 2027.
He recalled Kaduna’s historical importance as a political centre in northern Nigeria and said his government was investing in critical infrastructure and working to eradicate poverty.
The administration’s position was reinforced by the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, who highlighted road and other infrastructure projects being undertaken across the North-West and the country during the virtual commissioning of the highway section.
However, Atiku disputed the presentation of the road project, insisting that public infrastructure should be assessed on the basis of actual completion and delivery rather than political ceremonies.
The disagreement has placed the administration’s infrastructure claims alongside the debate over whether its economic reforms are delivering sufficient relief to Nigerians facing high food prices, transportation costs and other essential expenses.
APC leaders defend Tinubu’s record
At the Kaduna rally, Vice President Kashim Shettima called for continued support for Tinubu, citing the President’s commitment to national unity, democratic stability and economic development.
Shettima also recalled Tinubu’s support for northern presidential candidates in previous elections, including former President Muhammadu Buhari, as well as political figures such as Atiku Abubakar and Nuhu Ribadu.
He presented those relationships as evidence of Tinubu’s political loyalty and commitment to national unity, urging APC members and supporters to maintain solidarity with the President ahead of the next general election.
Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani commended the Federal Government for supporting state governments in implementing development programmes. He stressed the importance of cooperation between federal and state authorities in infrastructure, agriculture and initiatives aimed at improving citizens’ welfare.
The Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Abdulaziz Yari, also defended the administration’s economic reforms, pointing to developments in the foreign exchange market and urging Nigerians to assess the government on its policies and performance.
Yari expressed confidence in the APC’s mobilisation capacity ahead of the 2027 elections, while warning against misinformation during the campaign period.
The rally was attended by APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda, Shettima, Tinubu’s wife, Oluremi Tinubu, governors and other party leaders.