BY AHMED AKANBI
The Allied People’s Movement (APM) has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of making false claims to Catholic bishops about improvements in Nigeria’s economy and security.
In a statement issued on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Abubakar Yusuf, the party said the President’s remarks contradict the reality on ground.
APM stated that making such claims to spiritual leaders “at a time when millions of Nigerians are sinking deeper into abject poverty and terrorists are having a field day killing, maiming, and kidnapping citizens” is “the height of contempt.”
According to the party, the President told the bishops that “the economy has recovered” and that his administration had steered the nation away from “bankruptcy and the dark tunnel of uncertainty.”
APM, however, cited independent data showing that the poverty rate has risen above 63% in 2026.
The party said this indicates that over 140 million Nigerians have been plunged into poverty under the Tinubu administration, questioning how the President expects Nigerians, and especially clergymen who interact daily with the “suffering masses,” to believe that the economy is improving.
APM noted that this is “especially unrealistic after triggering an increase in fuel prices” which set off a chain reaction raising transport fares, food prices, school fees, medical bills, house rent, electricity tariffs, and other goods.
On security, the party said the administration has taken no decisive action beyond making promises and commitments in the fight against terrorism.
It added that some officials and APC leaders continue to make unguarded statements that embolden terrorists, including opposing calls for an international probe into acts of terrorism in Nigeria.
APM challenged President Tinubu to prove his claimed achievements by leaving the Presidential Villa to travel by road to any Nigerian city or visit any local market to tell citizens their lives have improved in the last three years.
The party urged the President’s handlers to stop exposing him to public ridicule, warning that “forum shopping to peddle false performance claims will not save him from defeat in the 2027 general election.”