As public opinion remains divided among Nigerians over President Bola Tinubu’s administration, with arguments suggesting that the All Progressives Congress (APC) leader’s two years in office have been marred by economic crises and widespread insecurity, the Lagos chapter of the party, has shifted blame, accusing former President Olusegun Obasanjo of being the main reason the country is in shambles.
The Lagos APC chapter, which labelled Obasanjo’s criticism of Tinubu’s administration as hypocritical, claimed that the former president is in no position to call anyone incompetent.
The APC in a statement released on Tuesday, argued that the country is recovering from years of structural decay, which it claims accumulated during Obasanjo’s time in office, adding that President Tinubu is working to address the gaps left by previous administrations.
Highlighting key failures during Obasanjo’s tenure, the state chapter, which described him as a dictator, alleged that billions spent on the power sector vanished without results during his time as military head of state and later as civilian president.
It further stated that “the economy was handed over with more foreign debt than when he took office, despite claims of having paid it off, and the infamous third-term agenda nearly plunged the nation into a constitutional crisis” during the former president’s regime.
According to the statement, “The recent comment by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, alleging that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is “competing with Buhari in incompetence”—not only laughable, but disgracefully hypocritical.
“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. under him corruption flourished under the disguise of reforms.
“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.
“President Bola Tinubu has taken decisions 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.
“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.
“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 bitter yesterday’s men will derail that journey.
