‘You’re Delusional’, – Atiku Replies Tinubu Over Hunger, Poverty Claims

African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has described President Bola Tinubu’s claim that opposition parties created hunger and poverty as a delusional attempt to evade responsibility for Nigerians’ economic hardship.

Atiku, in a statement issued on Saturday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, accused Tinubu of blaming the opposition for the hardship Nigerians were experiencing under his administration.

The former vice president said the President could not implement policies that worsened economic conditions and then blame others for highlighting their consequences.

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“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. Stop insulting their intelligence and answer for your record,” Atiku said.

He maintained that the hardship Nigerians were experiencing could not be dismissed by blaming opposition parties.

Atiku also criticised Tinubu over the commissioning of the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway, alleging that the project was unfinished despite the ceremony.

“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 ADC presidential candidate questioned the administration’s handling of petrol subsidy removal and the depreciation of the naira, asking which government was responsible for the economic developments.

He also cited a World Bank poverty estimate, budget extensions, spending recorded under energy security and NNPC pipeline-related expenditure, demanding explanations from the Federal Government.

Atiku further questioned an alleged $12.4 billion gap in Nigeria’s external accounts for the first half of 2026 and a reported $22.5 million in “other charges” on an Abu Dhabi financing facility.

He also accused the Tinubu administration of failing to adequately address killings, kidnappings and displacement across the country.

“You cannot govern for three years, make life harder, and then blame others for describing the hardship. You asked who created the hunger. Nigerians are asking what you have done to end it,” he said.

Atiku added that the 2027 presidential election would serve as a referendum on Tinubu’s performance, insisting that Nigerians would judge the administration based on their experiences with its policies.

“The people will judge your government by the lives they are living, not by the excuses you offer at campaign rallies,” he said.