The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed the claims of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, alleging that President Bola Tinubu is “competing with Buhari in incompetence”.
The APC described the swipe on Tinubu as “not only laughable but disgracefully hypocritical.”
This was revealed in a press statement by the party chapter’s spokesperson, Seye Oladejo, on Tuesday.
Obasanjo, in his new book, took a swipe at Tinubu, saying his administration is currently the only one competing with that of the late President Muhammadu Buhari in terms of inefficiency.
The book titled “Nigeria: Past and Future” is one of two publications he launched in March to mark his 88th birthday.
The second book is titled Lest We Forget: Slavery, Slave Trade, Emancipation, and Reparation.
In the first chapter, From the Beginning to the Present: The Missing Key, Obasanjo examined Nigeria’s presidents since independence and concluded that Buhari’s administration was the “worst civil administration regime” in the country’s history.
“Only Bola Tinubu’s administration seems to be competing with Buhari’s for now,” Obasanjo wrote.
However, rejecting Obasanjo’s claim, the Lagos APC, in a statement, said, “It is ironic that a man whose own time in office is remembered more for political arrogance, squandered opportunities, and failed democratic subversion would have the audacity to label anyone incompetent.
“President Bola Tinubu has taken decisions that no previous leader had the spine to take. Removing fuel subsidies, overhauling the foreign exchange regime, and confronting entrenched inefficiencies are not marks of incompetence—they are bold actions by a man ready to fix what others, including Obasanjo, either broke or ignored.
“Obasanjo’s bitterness is well-known. He cannot control this government, and he resents that Nigeria has moved on from his brand of egocentric, do-or-die politics. His habit of attacking sitting presidents when he no longer holds relevance has become predictable and pathetic.
Oladejo also stated that Nigerians witnessed the highest level of corruption under the administration of the former president while advising him to show some level of decorum.
“Let us remind Nigerians that under Obasanjo, billions in power sector spending disappeared with zero results, the economy was handed off with more foreign debt than when he took office after claiming to have paid it off, the infamous third-term agenda nearly plunged the nation into a constitutional crisis, and corruption flourished under the disguise of reforms.
“We strongly advise the former president to show some decorum, especially at his age. Elders are expected to advise, not agitate. If he has nothing constructive to say, silence would serve him—and the country—far better than these attention-seeking outbursts.”
The statement further read, “President Tinubu is not in a race with Obasanjo or anyone else. He is focused on the future. Nigeria is on a path of reform, recovery, and renewal—and no amount of potshots from yesterday’s bitter men will derail that journey.
“If Nigeria is still recovering from years of structural rot, Obasanjo bears a huge chunk of the blame. The mess didn’t start with Buhari, and it certainly isn’t being deepened by Tinubu—it started long before, under the watch of men who now pretend to be saints.”
