By Adegboyega Adeleye
The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ajibola Bashiru, has questioned former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s expertise to fix Nigeria’s economy, saying President Bola Tinubu is addressing the country’s economic challenges while predicting that Nigerians will reject Atiku in the 2027 presidential election.
Bashiru spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, while responding to questions about Atiku’s political ambitions and whether the former vice-president poses a threat to the ruling party ahead of the 2027 general election.
“Atiku is not a professional, please, with respect to him. Atiku trained as an hygiene expert at the school of hygiene in Kano, He is a ‘wole wole’ man and went to be a tax collector in Customs. Where is the expertise? What has he done? Check his profile?” Bashiru said.
He argued that holding the office of vice-president did not automatically make Atiku an expert on the economy.
“So, the fact that you became a Vice President doesn’t make you an expert, what is his expertise?” he asked.
Bashiru also linked Atiku to the economic difficulties the Tinubu administration is addressing, arguing that the former vice-president was among those responsible for the challenges facing the country.
“If there are challenges that is being addressed by President Tinubu, one of the main people that caused it is Atiku Abubakar,” he said.
Asked whether Atiku posed a threat to the APC, Bashiru described the former vice-president’s latest presidential ambition as his final attempt, predicting that Nigerians would reject him.
“Atiku is the Oginga Odinga of our country and that is what the Vice president said. He is doing his last contest which he knows that Nigeria people would reject him because Atiku you mentioned cannot even come to talk about Nigerian economy,” he said.
The APC national secretary also criticised opposition figures making promises about reducing petrol prices, arguing that such claims were unrealistic and intended to win votes.
“You see, some of these people can just come to make statements. I learnt one of them said I’m going to make petrol 200 naira, 300 naira. It is not possible, he is just lying. You must not lie to people because you want to get their votes. You must even say something that is even realistic,” Bashiru added.
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