Peter Obi still suffering from election failure-induced hangover – APC

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has said the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in 2023 election, Peter Obi, was still suffering from election failure-induced hangover, hence his criticism of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.

APC was responding to an interview on Prime Time on Arise Television on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, where Peter Obi, accused President Bola Tinubu of poor performance in implementing economic policy reform, claiming he would have done better.

In a statement signed Wednesday in Abuja by the APC’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, said opposition politics is not about denying the administration’s many successes, but about critiquing what may be wrong but affirming what is right.

“It is not about wholesale condemnation that is only intended to mislead and score cheap political gains. The steady progress of the Tinubu-administration across sectors is undeniable and evident for all Nigerians to see.

“It is hysterical that Mr Obi, who was governor of a failed and forgotten administration in Anambra state of only 21 local government areas would so brazenly boast of his capacity to govern Africa’s largest democracy. Obi bequeathed a sordid legacy of economic stagnation, infrastructural decay, ecological disaster, and religious polarization.”

Speaking on the achievements of Tinubu’s administration, APC said both as former Governor of Lagos state and now as President,” Tinubu is a dogged achiever, bold and unwavering in tackling and transforming difficult challenges into opportunities.

“As he did for Lagos, President Tinubu is now doing for Nigeria with the economy rebounding steadily, posting productivity-enhanced trade surpluses in successive quarters, with a 3.6 percent economic growth forecasted for the current fiscal year; with a fast expanding foreign reserve; with revamped and operational local refineries; with food inflation on the decline; with a successful harmonization of multiple exchanges rates that now supports increased foreign direct investments and flow of remittances into the economy; and with a reasonably stable forex market.

“The administration also has posted in its success column the cleared $7billion forex backlog, and Ways and Means debt of over $30billion; with reduced debt serving ratio from 98 per cent to about 64 percent; with increased oil production in excess of 1.8 mbpd, surpassing the Organisation of Petroluem Exporting Countries (OPEC) quota of 1.5mbpd for the first time in many years; with a repositioned stock exchange market that is now one of the most profitable in the world; with a vastly expanding Agricultural, Mine and Steel, Manufacturing, Creative and several other sub-sectors of the economy, in a push to increase the non-oil contribution to GDP; and with the Chatham House only recently adjudging the nation’s economy as the most competitive it has been in 25 years.

“Whereas global institutions and experts are applauding the unfolding silent economic revolution ably led by President Tinubu, Obi and his co-opposition drummers of empty partisan barrels continue to deny President Tinubu’s superlative and incomparable near mid-term successes and achievements.”

Morka said Tinubu remains undistracted and focused on securing good governance and improved economic conditions for all Nigerians.