As Nigerians await the manifestos of presidential candidates ahead of the January 16, 2027, presidential election, opposition politicians, have slammed the President Bola Tinubu-led administration for allegedly failing to fulfil promises made by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the run up to the 2023 election.
JESNews reports that President Bola Tinubu, who got elected in 2023, on the Renewed Hope Agenda, promised to tackle insecurity, revitalise the economy, create jobs, improve electricity supply, reduce poverty and enhance the living conditions of all Nigerians.
Although Tinubu and his supporters claim that the economic reforms of the administration have improved the lives of Nigerians, the opposition, has rejected the claim, contending that the policies have driven more Nigerians into hardship and poverty.
The opposition claimed that the administration’s policies, including the removal of the fuel subsidy and the floating of the local currency, plunged millions of Nigerians into hardship.
According to the IMF’s 2026 Article IV consultation, poverty reached 63% at the national poverty line, while conditions remain difficult for many Nigerians.
Some Nigerians warned the APC against launching another campaign with what they described as fake promises.
Speaking in an interview with DAILY POST, the immediate past Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Rivers State, Leader Sampson, said the administration had failed to fulfil any of its promises, alleging that the Renewed Hope Agenda had only impoverished Nigerians while enriching government officials.
“Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda has only succeeded in impoverishing Nigerians. They have only enriched themselves and that’s all about the hope agenda”, he said.
He pointed out that some policies, including the removal of the fuel subsidy, were responsible for the economic hardship bedevilling the masses.
“Look at the issue of fuel subsidy, from the very first day Tinubu came into power, he announced that subsidy was gone and that very day, the petroleum pump price jumped up and fuel stations started shutting down. That is where Nigerians’ problems began till today.
“There is nothing they have done that gave hope to the ordinary Nigerian. This government failed in security. Every day you keep hearing abuse mass abduction killing and all of that.
“They keep saying that they are making progress in security yet we keep seeing more insecurity everyday. The government has done virtually nothing to improve the lives of Nigerians.
“You can’t travel by air because of the hike in airfare prices and you can’t move by road because of insecurity. It is a terrible situation that we have been.
“Tinubu told us that if he cannot provide electricity, we should not vote for him and we are going to do exactly what he said”, Sampson stated.
Aaron Akogwu, a political analyst and grassroots mobiliser, said that the ruling party has no truth to give.
“You can’t give what you don’t have. APC people have no single truth in their mouths. Like 2Baba said in one of his hit songs, it’s like they want to tell us another story again.
“The campaign is going to be difficult for them because what are they going to say to the people? The promises you made before we brought you in, have you been able to keep them? Are we expecting a new lie?” he questioned.
On his part, Nigerian businessman Prince Isaac Fayose dismissed any improvement in the nation’s economy since Tinubu assumed office, stating that the administration’s policies only favoured the rich.
He alleged that the APC government “removed subsidy from fuel and electricity from the poor and gave it to the rich. At a time, I agreed that subsidy must go but I never knew that they would take the subsidy away and replace it with them living large.
“The subsidy that was supposed to go to the common man is what they are now using to buy jets, that’s what they are now giving to the governors that are not working.
“Despite the subsidy removal, roads to Ekiti, Osun and others are impassable. They are now boasting of cash transfer to the poor. How much is the cash? N5,000 is less than $50. What business can someone do with that?
“Go to the North and see how people are suffering. People that spent billions of naira during the Osun election are now boasting of N50,000 cash transfer. Nigerians need to wake up and take their country back”.
Finance Minister, Taiwo Oyedele, described the latest rating of Nigeria’s economic outlook by Moody’s Ratings, one of the world’s biggest credit rating agencies, as an important external validation of the difficult but necessary reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration.
