*Abuja, Nigeria* –
The All Progressives Congress (APC) issued a scathing response on Monday to Phrank Shaibu, Special Assistant on Public Communication to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, over his recent claims that President Bola Tinubu’s administration thrives on lies and deceits. Shaibu had criticized the current administration for allegedly using propaganda to mislead Nigerians.
In a statement titled ‘The 10 Lies of the APC-led Federal Government,’ Shaibu accused Tinubu of employing deceitful tactics to deceive the public. He suggested that the administration was more interested in spreading falsehoods than in addressing the issues of bad governance that Nigerians had endured for the past eight years.
Responding to Shaibu’s statements, the APC’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, chastised Atiku’s aide and suggested that he was struggling to accept the series of electoral defeats suffered by their party, particularly in the presidential poll and the election petitions tribunal.
Morka remarked, “In his pathological and cynical flippancy, Atiku’s aide delved into matters he clearly does not understand or lacks the constitutive capacity to understand as a result of post-electoral traumatic stress disorder arising from his boss’ serial electoral failure.”
Morka went on to address specific claims made by Shaibu, defending the administration’s decisions. He explained that the removal of fuel subsidy, harmonization of foreign exchange regimes, and the signing of the Students’ Loan Act into law were not lies but courageous actions taken to address economic and governance challenges.
Regarding fuel subsidy, Morka clarified, “Shaibu’s claim that fuel subsidy is back is not correct. The government’s intervention to ensure some measure of price stability and predictability does not amount to the return of the ruinous fuel subsidy of the recent past.”
Morka also highlighted the lifting of visa bans on Nigerians by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities, asserting that diplomatic relations between Nigeria and the UAE were progressing positively. He called on Nigerians to disregard purveyors of fake news and misinformation while suggesting that individuals like Shaibu were intent on distorting facts to support their politically defeated principal.
The exchange of words underscores the ongoing political tension in Nigeria and the intense rivalry between political figures and parties as the nation navigates various challenges and issues.
