The National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Felix Morka, has said former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has not provided a credible alternative to President Bola Tinubu’s policies.
Morka stated this on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, in response to Atiku’s call for Tinubu to reduce petrol prices and ease hardship.
Atiku, who is now the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, had at a press conference in Abuja urged the Federal Government to bring down fuel prices, saying high energy and transport costs were worsening hardship for families, workers and businesses.
He also said he was willing to share his policy framework with the government and that any idea that could reduce cost of living should be adopted no matter who proposed it.
“A sensible idea does not become a bad idea because it came from your opponent,” Atiku had said.
But Morka said Atiku was only playing politics and had failed to outline what he would do differently.
“The last I checked, the former Vice President is a candidate of a political party for the office of president. He should be telling Nigerians exactly what he plans to do to improve the lives of Nigerians,” Morka said.
He added: “Asking Mr President to listen to him, he is neither here nor there, he is simply just pulling his own political stunts. Atiku Abubakar is not someone who has managed to articulate any sensible position or policy, a proposal as an alternative to what this government has implemented or is implementing, he hasn’t managed to do that.”
Morka also accused Atiku of supporting petrol subsidy removal during the 2023 campaign but criticising it after it was implemented by the Tinubu government.
Atiku had also kicked against the planned removal of electricity subsidy from 2027, saying households, small businesses and manufacturers were already struggling with high electricity, diesel and other energy costs, and that the experience of petrol subsidy removal should not be repeated in the power sector.
Reacting to that, Morka questioned Atiku’s own record in the power sector while he was Vice President, saying he had the chance to fix the sector then but failed to do so.
Leave a comment