Cynthia Ezegwu
The war of words between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition intensified at the weekend as officials of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) defended former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his warning on worsening hunger in the country.
The APC had earlier described Atiku’s comments as “reckless, irresponsible and a tacit instigation of revolution,” accusing him of stoking unrest to destabilise the Tinubu administration.
But opposition leaders countered, insisting that Atiku’s remarks reflected the harsh economic realities facing Nigerians.
In an interview with PUNCH Online on Saturday, the National Publicity Secretary of the NNPP, Ladipo Johnson, said Atiku did nothing wrong by raising concerns.
“I do not think Atiku would be involved in inciting the Nigerian citizenry. As an elder statesman, I trust that he will not go that far,” Johnson said. “Statesmen must be bold enough to speak truth to power. If one says there is hunger in the land and people are suffering, that is not going too far. It is simply a warning, not a call to arms.”
Similarly, the PDP described the APC’s reaction as an attempt to silence critics and deflect attention from Nigeria’s economic crisis.
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Deputy National Youth Leader of the PDP, Timothy Osadolor, said Atiku only echoed the frustrations of millions of citizens struggling with the high cost of living.
“All Atiku actually did is give voice to the thoughts of millions of Nigerians spread across the length and breadth of this country, who find it nearly impossible to survive with two square meals a day,” Osadolor said. “They are only vilifying and harassing Atiku because they know that what he said is true, and they don’t want Nigerians to have a voice.”
Atiku, who lost to President Bola Tinubu in the 2023 election, had warned that the government’s economic policies could provoke public outrage comparable to the French and Russian revolutions if hardship persists.
While the APC dismissed his remarks as “dangerous and anti-democratic,” the opposition insists the former vice president merely reflected the growing anger of Nigerians over food insecurity and rising living costs.