The African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council has challenged Vice President Kashim Shettima’s assessment of President Bola Tinubu’s economic record, rejecting his claim that the President rescued Nigeria from an economy approaching collapse. The reaction followed Shettima’s recent defence of the administration’s economic policies, during which he said Tinubu inherited a severely weakened economy […]
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council has challenged Vice President Kashim Shettima’s assessment of President Bola Tinubu’s economic record, rejecting his claim that the President rescued Nigeria from an economy approaching collapse.
The reaction followed Shettima’s recent defence of the administration’s economic policies, during which he said Tinubu inherited a severely weakened economy and took difficult measures to prevent a deeper crisis.
Shettima made the remarks after visiting President Tinubu at his Lagos residence, where he defended major reforms introduced by the administration, including the removal of fuel subsidy and the adjustment of the foreign exchange regime.
The Vice President said the reforms had caused hardship but insisted they were necessary to stabilise the economy. He also referenced inherited foreign reserves of approximately $3.9 billion as part of the economic situation confronting the administration when it assumed office.
According to Shettima, Tinubu had the courage and conviction to implement decisions that previous governments had been unable or unwilling to take. He said the President’s actions prevented the country from falling further into economic crisis.
The ADC PCC, however, disputed that assessment. Its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, said Shettima’s remarks raised questions about the record of the APC government under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Ologbondiyan argued that describing Nigeria as being on the road to “Caracas” before Tinubu assumed office amounted to an admission that the APC government had presided over the conditions that produced the situation Tinubu inherited.
He questioned why Nigerians should place confidence in Tinubu if the conditions under Buhari were as severe as described by Shettima, noting that both administrations belong to the same political party.
The ADC spokesman also maintained that Nigerians identify the APC as the political platform responsible for the Federal Government over the period in question, rather than separating the party’s record from that of an individual president.
Ologbondiyan went further to criticise the current administration over roads, electricity, public institutions and the cost of living. He argued that food and household affordability remained more pressing concerns for ordinary Nigerians than political claims about the economy.
He rejected Shettima’s assertion that Tinubu had saved Nigeria from collapse and instead alleged that the current administration had deepened economic hardship through inflation, naira devaluation, unemployment, insecurity and rising living costs.
The ADC spokesman also dismissed the Vice President’s reference to “Caracas,” claiming that Nigerians were already living through conditions comparable to those being invoked by the administration.
Ologbondiyan further questioned the government’s proposed e-logistics initiative, which includes 10,600 electric tricycles, 300 buses and electric taxis, and recalled the government’s earlier promise that transportation costs would decline from October 1.
He urged Nigerians to assess the administration based on its actual delivery and not solely on new promises, while calling on the APC and the Vice President to focus on the challenges confronting citizens.
The ADC Presidential Campaign Council said it would continue positioning itself as an alternative to the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.