Crisis within: President Tinubu’s economic policies divide top APC leaders

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) may not be as openly divided as the opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP or the Labour Party, LP; but recent developments in the party are showing signs of a tear at the seams, and many analysts, who spoke with Business Hallmark, agree that there may be a litany of unsaid angst at the state of the nation, especially growing hardship, which many top APC stalwarts harbor, but for political reasons may have been kept shimmering under the carpet, at least, for now.

Only last Friday, the maverick Senator, Ali Ndume, who represents Borno South at the Senate, and who has demoted from Chief Whip, over his criticism of the Tinubu administration economic policies, stirred the hornet nest again, when he took another swipe at the current administration for its economic policies, especially the so-called full deregulation of oil industry, which witnessed a hike in petrol price from N850 per litre to N1,030.

Ndume expressed concern over the rising prices of fuel, food, and essential goods, which he said have become unaffordable for the majority of Nigerians.

“We want to draw the government’s attention to the fact that Nigeria is not only facing a high cost of living, but also food scarcity,” he said.

Only recently, a  former National Vice Chairman North-west of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Salihu Lukman,  openly lamented that the government of President Bola Tinubu had impoverished Nigerians.

Lukman, in a  recent statement, noted  that within one year, virtually everything has crashed, due to the ‘impatience and arrogance of Tinubu.”

He  stated that  before settling down to  brass tacks,  Tinubu declared an end to petroleum subsidy without any plan, noting  that he also proceeded to float the exchange rate of the Naira against other international currency.

Lukman  noted that for an import-dependent nation, why should any leader be in a hurry to implement such policies without having any plan to boost local production.

“In the case of withdrawal of subsidy, does it require any counselling to time such policy with ensuring capacity for local refining? he said.

“With all the talk of fixing the four refineries in the country and the beginning of production activity by the Dangote refinery, why is President Tinubu in a mad rush and unable to align his policy initiatives with these expectations?”

Lukman stressed that Tinubu’s government has demonstrated lack of capacity to to ameliorate worsening living conditions of Nigerians.

Only last week, the former minister of transportation, and two-term governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi criticized the current administration for causing hardship and making life difficult for Nigerians.

He lambasted the administration for its arrogance and insensitivity to the plights of the people, who he said have been pauperized by the Tinubu economic policies, noting that Nigeria has never in her chequered history sunk this low, wondering what the administration was up to in the latest hike in fuel price under the guise of deregulation.

Amaechi urged Nigerians to rise up against the current administration, saying he was disappointed at the way the youths protested, adding that they ought to have sustained the protests. He advised Nigerians not to keep quiet in the face of bad governance.

Irked by Amaechi’s vitriol, the  All Progressives Congress (APC) last Saturday criticized Amaechi, for allegedly inciting ‘anarchy’ against President Tinubu’s administration.

In his reaction to the comment via   a statement released on Friday in Abuja, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, the ruling party described Amaechi’s remark as “irresponsible and unpatriotic.”

Morka said  Amaechi’s comments are ‘insensitive, awful and unpatriotic, coming from one of Nigeria’s longest serving and highest ranking political freeloaders – a two-term speaker of the Rivers state House of Assembly, a two-term governor, and a two-term Minister of Transport.”

In his reaction,  Adeagbo Moritiwon, an emeritus professor of political science, told Business Hallmark that “One thing is clear, there’s ongoing poor governance at work, but it’s a big relief to  Nigerians that the elites responsible for their poverty and hunger are at war, this is a civil war among the discredited ruling elites of the 20 years. Amaechi is right, and the reaction against him is equally correct. I will always commend Lukman and Ndume for having guts to say it the way it is. They are no cowards. In the fullness of time truth will unravel. There’s a serious leadership deficit in the country, especially in the past nine years.”

Shola Ogunjinrin a doctoral political science student, told this medium that” the administration has not learnt from the mistake of the past, calling critics of its policies names will not douse tension or reduce hunger and suffering in the land. Tinubu should pursue his policies with a human face, this administration should remember Francis  Bacon’s timeless truth that  ‘the worst form of rebellion is the rebellion of the stomach.’ Nigerians are hungry.”