JamzNG Latest News, Gist, Entertainment in Nigeria
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 African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, through his aide Phrank Shaibu, titled “The 2027 elections will be a referendum on your record.”
In a press release issued by the Kaduna Flag-Off Media Center and signed by its Secretary/Convener, Dr. Oladimeji Adams, the APC-NSMSG said it welcomes Atiku’s call for a referendum on the documents.
“We thank Atiku for finally telling the truth. Yes, 2027 will be a registered referendum. And we are ready,” the group said.
The APC-NSMSG said before holding a referendum on Tinubu’s record, Atiku’s record as Vice President from 1999 to 2007 should be placed alongside that of Tinubu.
Asked by Atiku which administration removed petrol subsidies and saw the 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.
He said Atiku in his 2023 manifesto promised to remove the subsidy on day one, adding that the difference is that Tinubu removed the subsidy and saved $7.1 trillion which was channeled towards FAAC, student loans and infrastructure, while Atiku would give it to friends as was done with the privatization of NITEL and ALSCON.
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 used which made the CBN spend $1.5 billion a month to defend the naira, while Tinubu stopped the round trip and increased foreign reserves from $33 billion to $42 billion.
On the issue of poverty and the World Bank’s estimate of 63% below the poverty line, the APC-NSMSG said the figure is not Tinubu’s creation.
“The World Bank’s 63% is not Tinubu’s creation. It is YOUR creation. You were vice president from 1999 to 2007 when poverty was at 54%. You left it at 62%. Tinubu has reached 63% and is bringing it down,” the group said, listing interventions such as cash transfer of N75,000 to 15 million families through NIN, NELFUND for 478,000 students, methane buses that cut transport by 40%. per cent, minimum wage increase from N30,000 to N70,000 and FAAC tripled for states.
On the budget extension, the group said the budget extension from 2024 to 2025 is constitutional under Section 59, adding that Tinubu openly sought the approval of the National Assembly and gazetted it.
On the N7.13 trillion energy security expenditure and N11.2 trillion NNPC pipeline expenditure raised by Atiku, the APC-NSMSG said the amount was the 2022-2024 subsidy arrears inherited from the Buhari and PDP era and that Tinubu is the first president to publish details and order a forensic audit. He said the $22.5 million expenditure on the Abu Dhabi facility was negotiated by the 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 reported in Kaduna on Saturday and increased the defense budget from 1.2 trillion dollars. to N4.1 trillion.
“Live safe in Dubai. Tinubu is in Kaduna today to disrupt the security plan. Who is serious?” the group asked.
The APC-NSMSG said the claim that Nigerians will judge government by the life they live was proven in Kaduna on Saturday when 75,000 people chanted “Sai Tinubu” at the Ranchers Bees Stadium.
“If the people rejected Tinubu, why did 75,000 people come to Kaduna today? Why did the market women leave the market? Did the students leave the school? Did the farmers leave the farm? Are the hotels full? Are 20,000 left outside the stadium who could not enter?” the statement asks, pointing out that in 2023 the Atiku rally in Kaduna had 3,000 people.
The group said it accepted Atiku’s referendum challenge and proposed seven questions for the referendum: Who removed subsidies and tripled FAAC for governors? Who increased the minimum wage from N30k to N70k? Who gave loans to 478,000 students? Who is building the Kaduna-Kano railway, Lagos-Calabar and Sokoto-Badagry highways? Who increased the reserves from 33 to 42 billion dollars? Who recruited 30,000 forest rangers? Who lives in Nigeria and who lives in Dubai?
“Nigerians will answer in 2027: TINUBU AGAIN. Atiku, you have been contesting since 1993: 33 years, 7 attempts, 7 failures. 2027 will be the 8th failure,” the APC-NSMSG said.
The bottom line is that Tinubu has met a bleeding Nigeria and is healing it, while the Kaduna rally with 75,000 people chanting Sai Tinubu 2027 has already shown the verdict.
