Top 7 APC members who have blamed Buhari for economic hardship

Nigerians have been grappling with an excruciating economy since President Bola Tinubu assumed power in May 2023, but his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, has been the 'victim' of the blame narrative - a practice the Nigerian government has perfected.

The hardship, which started with an astronomic hike in the price of petroleum due to fuel subsidy removal, snowballed into fuel scarcity, followed by a perennial forex crisis that pushed the exchange rate beyond ₦1000 per dollar.

As Nigerians struggled to adjust to the forex problem, food insecurity and inflation crisis set in, prompting hungry Nigerians to attack food trucks and break into warehouses to loot food items.

As if that's not enough, the epileptic electricity supply in the country worsened, aggravating the situation and leaving Nigerians hopelessly in darkness.

However, while many Nigerians criticise President Tinubu’s policies for their suffering, political leaders blame former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

Interestingly, the people blaming Buhari for the current economic crises are members of the ruling party, who didn’t, for once, raise their voices against the alleged maladministration of the Buhari administration.

Here are seven APC members, who have blamed the ex-president for the current economic hardship.

Wale Edun

While addressing members of the Senate Committee on Finance on Wednesday, March 6, 2023, Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, attributed Nigeria’s rising inflation to the indiscriminate printing of naira notes that happened under the Buhari administration.

He said, “We talked about inflation, and you have helped to solve that. Where has it come from? It came from eight years of just printing money not matched by productivity.”

Adams Oshiomhole

In his opinion, the senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, believes Nigeria is in a precarious situation because of the ‘reckless policies’ of the past administration.

Describing the policies as dehumanising, the former Governor of Edo State said, Tinubu should not be blamed for the crises choking the country.

Nuhu Ribadu

The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, is one of the first government officials to push the narrative that the Tinubu administration inherited a bankrupt country.

In November 2023, Ribadu while speaking at a conference in Abuja, alleged that the Buhari government emptied the treasury, leaving the incoming administration with a high debt profile.

Dapo Abiodun

Days after Ribadu’s remark about Tinubu inheriting a bankrupt country, the Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, towed the same line, saying the country was in comatose when Tinubu came to power.

Abiodun, who expressed confidence in Tinubu’s policies, assured Nigerians that the present administration would tackle the challenges facing the country.

Godswill Akpabio

Like Oshiomhole, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio believes the actions and policies of the Buhari administration caused the hardship Nigerians are currently going through.

“The economic situation that President Bola Tinubu inherited on assumption of office was very unhealthy and could be likened to a mirage,” the Senate President said.

Mohammed Idris

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, recently described the economy the Buhari administration handed over to Tinubu as a ‘dead horse standing.’

The minister urged Nigerians to give the president more time to fix the country because he’s making efforts to rescue the economy.

Gbenga Daniel

Otunba Gbenga Daniel, the Senator representing Ogun East recently pleaded with Nigerians to show understanding amid the lingering economic hardship in the country.

Like other APC members, the former Governor of Ogun State attributed the current situation of the country to the ‘failed economy’ Tinubu inherited from his predecessor.