Former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has launched a scathing critique of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), describing the party’s decade-long governance as a “failed experiment” that has exacerbated Nigeria’s socio-economic challenges. In a series of high-level engagements this week, Atiku argued that the current administration’s policies have deepened poverty and widened the inequality gap across the country.
Atiku’s remarks come as he solidifies his role in a burgeoning opposition coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) banner, alongside other political heavyweights like former Governor Nasir El-Rufai and Peter Obi. The former Vice President contended that the APC’s approach to economic management—particularly its handling of currency reforms and the recent amendments to the Electoral Act, has failed to provide the “renewed hope” promised to Nigerians. “The APC experiment has not only stalled; it has reversed our progress, making the basic survival of the average Nigerian a daily struggle,” Atiku stated.
The criticism specifically targeted the administration’s recent legislative moves. Atiku joined other opposition leaders in condemning the “speedy assent” to the Electoral Act 2026, which he claims contains loopholes, such as the proviso for manual result transmission during technical failures, that could undermine the integrity of the 2027 polls. He characterized these moves as a “death warrant on credible elections,” suggesting that the ruling party is more focused on political consolidation than addressing the double-digit inflation and unemployment currently roiling the nation.
Despite the formation of the new ADC coalition, Atiku has been firm in dismissing rumors of his withdrawal from the 2027 presidential race. He reaffirmed that his ambition is driven by a vision to “break the vicious circle of decline” and restore investor confidence through a stable macroeconomic environment. He challenged the APC to defend its record, noting that the “money-bag” and “tribalized” nature of the current political structure has failed to produce the technocratic solutions Nigeria desperately requires.
As Nigeria enters an accelerated electoral cycle following INEC’s rescheduling of the 2027 polls to January, Atiku’s rhetoric signals a combative campaign season ahead. For the USAfrica community, his comments highlight a deepening ideological rift between the “gradualist” economic approach favored by the opposition and the “shock therapy” reforms currently being implemented by the Tinubu administration.
