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The APC National Stakeholders Media Support Group (APC-NSMSG) says the 2027 presidential election will indeed be a referendum on records, but insists President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will prevail over former Vice President Atiku Abubakar based on performance.
The group was responding to a statement credited to Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), through his aide Phrank Shaibu, titled “2027 election will be referendum on your record.”
In a press release issued from its Kaduna Flag-Off Media Centre and signed by its Secretary/Convener, Dr. Oladimeji Adams, the APC-NSMSG said it welcomes Atiku’s call for a referendum on records.
“We thank Atiku for finally saying the truth. Yes, 2027 will be referendum on record. And we are ready,” the group said.
The APC-NSMSG said before calling for a referendum on Tinubu’s record, Atiku’s own record as Vice President from 1999 to 2007 should be placed side-by-side with Tinubu’s record.
On Atiku’s question about which administration removed petrol subsidy and watched naira fall from N471 to N1,329, the group said it was the same administration that saved Nigeria from what it called Atiku’s fake subsidy economy.
It said Atiku in his 2023 manifesto promised to remove subsidy on day one, adding that the difference is that Tinubu removed subsidy and saved N7.1 trillion which was channeled to FAAC, student loan and infrastructure, while Atiku would have given it to friends as was done with NITEL and ALSCON privatization.
On the naira, the group said for 16 years of PDP, including eight years when Atiku was Vice President, a fake rate of N471 was operated that made CBN spend $1.5 billion monthly defending naira, while Tinubu stopped the round-tripping and grew foreign reserves from $33 billion to $42 billion.
On the question of poverty and World Bank estimate of 63 percent below poverty line, the APC-NSMSG said the figure was not Tinubu’s creation.
“World Bank 63% is not Tinubu’s creation. It is YOUR creation. You were Vice President 1999-2007 when poverty was 54%. You left it at 62%. Tinubu met 63% and is bringing it down,” the group said, listing interventions such as N75,000 cash transfer to 15 million families via NIN, NELFUND for 478,000 students, CNG buses cutting transport by 40 percent, minimum wage increase from N30,000 to N70,000, and tripled FAAC for states.
On budget extension, the group said extension of 2024 budget into 2025 is constitutional under Section 59, adding that Tinubu sought National Assembly approval openly and published it in the Gazette.
On energy security spending of N7.13 trillion and NNPC pipeline spending of N11.2 trillion raised by Atiku, the APC-NSMSG said the amount was 2022-2024 subsidy arrears inherited from Buhari and PDP era, and that Tinubu is the first President to publish breakdown and order forensic audit. It said the $22.5 million charges on Abu Dhabi facility was negotiated by PDP in 2022 and is being renegotiated, while the $12.4 billion gap in external accounts was flagged by Tinubu’s CBN under Governor Cardoso.
On insecurity, the group said banditry in Zamfara started in 2004 and Boko Haram in 2002 when Atiku was Vice President, while Tinubu in 2.5 years killed 8,200 terrorists, arrested 11,000 bandits, rescued 4,500 victims, recruited 30,000 Forest Guards flagged off in Kaduna on Saturday, and increased defense budget from N1.2 trillion to N4.1 trillion.
“You live safe in Dubai. Tinubu is in Kaduna today flagging off security plan. Who is serious?” the group queried.
The APC-NSMSG said the claim that Nigerians will judge government by lives they are living was proven on Saturday in Kaduna when 75,000 people chanted “Sai Tinubu” at the Ranchers Bees Stadium.
“If people rejected Tinubu, why did 75,000 come today in Kaduna? Why did market women leave market? Students leave school? Farmers leave farm? Hotels fully booked? 20,000 stay outside stadium that could not enter?” the statement asked, noting that in 2023 Atiku’s rally in Kaduna had 3,000 people.
The group said it accepts Atiku’s referendum challenge and proposed seven questions for the referendum: Who removed subsidy and tripled FAAC for governors? Who increased minimum wage from N30k to N70k? Who gave 478,000 students loan? Who is building Kaduna-Kano rail, Lagos-Calabar and Sokoto-Badagry highways? Who increased reserves from $33bn to $42bn? Who recruited 30,000 Forest Guards? Who lives in Nigeria and who lives in Dubai?
“Nigerians will answer in 2027: TINUBU AGAIN. Atiku, you contested since 1993 — 33 years, 7 attempts, 7 failures. 2027 will be 8th failure,” the APC-NSMSG said.
It concluded that Tinubu met a bleeding Nigeria and is healing it, while the Kaduna rally with 75,000 people chanting Sai Tinubu 2027 already showed the verdict.
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