Tinubu’s economic reforms are ‘heartless’ – ADC slams APC over rising hardship

By Luminous Jannamike, Abuja

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has described President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms as “heartless,” accusing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of pursuing policies that favour international financial institutions at the expense of suffering Nigerians.

This was in response to the APC’s recent claim that the ADC lacks credible alternatives to the government’s current economic direction.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Vanguard in Abuja on Monday, the ADC National Youth Leader, Balarabe Rufai, said the party’s economic agenda prioritises the well-being of ordinary citizens and is not dictated by external institutions.

“The present administration’s reforms are heartless. They are simply prescriptions from Bretton Woods institutions that do not consider the reality of Nigerian lives,” Rufai said.

He argued that the ADC’s approach to economic reform would be built on four pillars: consistency, ownership, purpose, and strategy, adding that the party’s policies would be “organic and original,” unlike the current reforms which he claimed deepen poverty.

Rufai criticised the APC-led administration for its aggressive tax regime amid rising hardship.

“In a country where the national statistics agency publicly states that 133 million people are living in multidimensional poverty—almost 60 to 70 percent of the population—you cannot keep taxing the same people and claim to be reforming the economy. That is outright insensitivity,” he said.

On the ADC’s political prospects, Rufai made bold claims about rising support for the party, suggesting that key political figures such as Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar are aligning with the ADC.

“Peter Obi is coming to the ADC. Atiku Abubakar is coming to the ADC. If they have other plans, they’ll have to abandon them and follow the ADC’s vision,” he stated.

He dismissed concerns that the ADC’s strategy undermines the north-south power rotation arrangement, saying the party’s priority is to reform Nigeria’s democratic processes, especially the system of electing party flagbearers.

“The delegate system is destroying democracy. In the ADC—particularly in the youth wing—we will ensure that the influence of delegates is reduced and godfatherism is eliminated,” he said.

Rufai concluded by reiterating that the ADC’s focus is not just on who leads the country, but on building systems that allow any credible leader to succeed without being encumbered by debts or patronage politics.

“What matters to us is not who becomes the presidential candidate, but ensuring that whoever emerges has a platform to govern effectively and responsibly,” he said.

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