The 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has claimed that the recent presidential election was “criminally stolen” from him, rejecting the notion that he lost fairly.
He also blamed President Bola Tinubu for the “excruciating pain” Nigerians are experiencing due to “trial-and-error economic policies.”
In response, the presidency, through Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, countered that Atiku’s campaign was “rejected” by Nigerians because his ideas “lacked details.”
In a series of tweets, Atiku asserted, “The citizens who cast their votes in the 2023 presidential election know that I did not lose; rather, the election was criminally stolen from the Nigerian people.”
He went on to critique the Tinubu administration’s economic strategies, calling them incoherent and detrimental to the nation’s stability.
Atiku highlighted that, in contrast, his team had developed a comprehensive economic recovery plan with broad public input.
He noted the irony in Tinubu’s recent call for a national prayer, just one day after he presented his alternative solutions. “Prayer is essential,” Atiku remarked, “but diligent labour and well-thought-out policies are equally vital.”
Reflecting on his tenure alongside former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Atiku cited economic achievements, including GDP growth from 6.59% to 15% in 2002, arguing that the current administration’s lackluster 2.8% GDP growth marks a stark contrast.
He warned that excessive taxation and experimental policies are deepening economic hardship, while other nations have prospered through lower taxation and growth-focused strategies.
Atiku closed by likening Tinubu’s approach to a “Tea-plan” leading only to “T-pain,” urging a shift from what he calls a “shambolic ‘bolekaja’ economic policy.”
