Three prominent opposition figures — former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and former governors Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna) and Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers) — have come down hard on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the worsening insecurity, hunger, and poverty in the country, vowing to stop his re-election bid in 2027.
They spoke at the weekend during a public lecture themed “Weaponisation of Poverty as a Means of Underdevelopment: A Case Study of Nigeria” to mark Amaechi’s 60th birthday.
Atiku, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), accused the Tinubu administration of deliberately weaponising poverty as a tool of political control.
“You may call me a conspirator, you may call me anything,” Atiku said. “That is why we are in this alliance — to make sure we don’t allow them to continue weaponising poverty.”
He said the administration had failed to meet expectations and was using poverty as a political tool.
“What we are experiencing in Nigeria today is state-sanctioned weaponisation of poverty,” he declared.
“When I was growing up in the North, Kano State was the most prosperous. After secondary school, I was posted there. I never saw people sleeping outside — not under bridges, not in front of shops.
“But recently, during a visit to Kano, I saw people sleeping everywhere — under bridges, on the streets — driven out by poverty and insecurity.
“There’s a state agency in Kano that provides support to such people. They began their work — relocating people from under bridges, enlightening them, helping them. What happened? They were called to a meeting and told to stop,” he added.
