The All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected allegations that President Bola Tinubu promised to eliminate poverty in Nigeria within three years of taking office, saying he never set a deadline for achieving that goal.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, who also serves as spokesman for the APC Presidential Campaign Council, made the clarification on Tuesday during an interview on Arise Television’s Morning Show.
Morka argued that campaign commitments should be viewed as long-term objectives rather than guarantees that complex national problems would be resolved within a predetermined period.
He challenged claims that Tinubu had pledged to eradicate poverty within three years, noting that even economically advanced countries had struggled to eliminate the problem.
“You know, the only thing you didn’t say in just what you read out was a calendar of what the president gave you was a timeline for eradicating poverty that even the wealthiest countries have not managed to eradicate in all of their years of post-independent government,” he said.
The APC spokesman stressed that the president had not promised to end poverty within his first 100 days, two years or three years in office.
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“The president never told you that in the first month or 100 days of my government, or in the first two years or three years, I am going to eradicate poverty. You didn’t say that in what you just read out,” he added.
Morka maintained that the administration was working to tackle the structural problems affecting the country and urged Nigerians to consider the broader circumstances when assessing its performance.
He said the failure of some campaign expectations to materialise immediately did not necessarily mean the government had abandoned its commitments or failed to make progress.
“Now, the president is attempting to fix that foundational problem. You come and you want to judge and say all of the outcomes you promise, whether directly or indirectly or by suggestion, have not manifested. Therefore, you are not doing that in three years,” Morka said.
He also defended the four-year presidential tenure, arguing that it gives elected leaders time to understand the country’s challenges, formulate policies and begin implementing solutions.
According to him, the first term allows a president to assess national problems and establish a strategy, while a possible second term provides an opportunity to deepen and sustain the implementation of those policies.
Morka’s remarks come amid continuing debate over the Tinubu administration’s economic record, particularly the effects of its policies on poverty and the cost of living since the president assumed office in May 2023.