Kebbi State chapter of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, has criticised the state government over its response to poverty concerns raised by the party’s governorship candidate, Abubakar Malami.
The party accused the government of dismissing Malami’s concerns instead of providing verifiable evidence to counter claims about poverty, insecurity and limited access to essential services in the state.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Director of Strategic Communications of the ADC Kebbi Campaign Council, Bello Abdullahi said the government should publish updated poverty figures if it disputed the data cited by Malami.
Abdullahi said the government should also provide evidence showing how its interventions had improved living conditions, rather than relying on lists of projects and political arguments.
He argued that Malami’s record as a former minister under ex-President Muhammadu Buhari should not prevent the current administration from accounting for its own performance.
The ADC said the APC had held power at the federal and state levels for 11 years and should be prepared to demonstrate the impact of its policies on poverty and living conditions.
It added that the opposition party should not be held equally responsible for government policies it neither formulates nor implements.
The party urged the state government to support its claims of progress with verifiable data, including project costs, the number of beneficiaries and measurable outcomes.
“Governance is not a public-relations contest. Its ultimate test is the difference it makes in people's lives,” Abdullahi said.
The statement followed the Kebbi State Government’s criticism of Malami over his use of a United Nations Development Programme poverty report to assess Governor Nasir Idris’s administration.
Kebbi ADC slams state govt over response to poverty concerns