It’s a battle of words between the 2023 Labour Party Presidential Candidate Peter Obi and the All Progressives Congress shortly after the former lampooned the presidency’s economic policy.
In response, the ruling party stated unequivocally that the Tinubu-led administration needs no accolades from outsiders.
Peter Obi, who had earlier granted an interview on Arise TV, expressed his displeasure over the economic downturn experienced under the Tinubu-led government.
Simultaneously, the opposition clapped back, branding the Labour Party as desperate and lacking sensible economic arguments.
The APC has also, in a statement endorsed by Felix Morka, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, highlighted that Peter Obi’s tenure as governor of Anambra State was marred by economic stagnation, infrastructural decay, and religious polarization.
In a conscious attempt to strike a comparison between the tenures of the duo of Peter Obi and Bola Tinubu, the APC has alleged that the latter is more performing than the former with an immeasurable margin.
Enclosed in the statement, the party satirized the LP front man over his usual mantra of “I would have done it better if I were president” alleging it to be the lingering repercussion of his spectacular defeat in the last election.
The statement reads:
“To be honest, it was painful to watch Mr. Obi struggle in vain to present any sensible economic argument in the face of the administrationโs undeniable progress. Even his trademark opportunistic sensationalismโexaggerating the temporary difficulties Nigerians have endured in patriotic support of the Presidentโs bold and transformative economic planโoffered him no respite. He floundered on national television, appearing as a portrait of frustration and political desperation.
“Mr. Obiโs favorite retort, โI would have done better as president,โ seems to be a symptom of a protracted election defeat-induced hangover. He has yet to wake up to the reality that he is not the president. Like an unlicensed backseat driver who fancies himself a race car driver, Mr. Obi needs to curb his bloated and delusional imagination.
“Opposition politics is not about denying the administrationโs many successes. It is about critiquing what may be wrong while acknowledging what is right. It is not about wholesale condemnation designed to mislead the public and score cheap political points. The steady progress of the Tinubu administration across sectors is undeniable and evident for all Nigerians to see.
“It is ironic that Mr. Obi, whose tenure as governor of Anambra Stateโcovering only 21 local government areasโwas marked by economic stagnation, infrastructural decay, ecological disasters, and religious polarisation, now boasts of his capacity to govern Africaโs largest democracy.
“Both as the former governor of Lagos State and now as President, Tinubu has consistently demonstrated his ability to tackle challenges and transform them into opportunities. Just as he did for Lagos, he is now doing for Nigeria. The economy is rebounding steadily, posting successive trade surpluses and achieving a projected economic growth rate of 3.6 percent for the current fiscal year.
โForeign reserves are expanding, local refineries are operational, food inflation is declining, and the successful harmonization of multiple exchange rates has increased foreign direct investment and remittances. Additionally, the forex market remains relatively stable.
“The administration has also cleared a $7 billion forex backlog and reduced the Ways and Means debt of over $30 billion. The debt service ratio has dropped from 98 percent to about 64 percent. Oil production now exceeds 1.8 million barrels per day (mbpd), surpassing the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) quota of 1.5 mbpd for the first time in years.
“The Nigerian stock exchange has been repositioned and is now one of the most profitable in the world. The agricultural, mining, steel, manufacturing, and creative sectors are all expanding to boost non-oil GDP contributions. Recently, Chatham House adjudged Nigeriaโs economy as the most competitive it has been in 25 years.
“While global institutions and experts applaud President Tinubuโs silent economic revolution, Obi and his co-opposition members continue their empty partisan rhetoric, refusing to acknowledge the administrationโs remarkable mid-term achievements.”
“President Tinubu remains undistracted and focused on ensuring good governance and improved economic conditions for all Nigerians,” the statement concluded.
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