The All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed claims that Nigeria’s rising poverty rate is a direct result of President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, accusing the African Democratic Congress (ADC) of misrepresenting recent data for political purposes, ENigeria Newspaper reports.
According to a research given at an Agora Policy dialogue, the country’s poverty rate increased to 63% after the petrol subsidy was eliminated. The ADC described this as a reflection of the administration’s economic policies.
However, in a statement on Saturday, APC National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka said the opposition party either misunderstood the report or deliberately ignored the reasons behind the government’s reforms.
“The African Democratic Congress (ADC)’s attempt to spin a recent report presented at the Agora Policy dialogue indicating a rise in the poverty rate to 63 percent from 49 percent as a ‘damning verdict on this administration’s economic policies’ speaks either to its shocking ignorance of economic policy or its wilful blindness to the justification for, and transformative impacts of, ongoing economic reforms,” Morka said.
The ruling party argued that fuel subsidy removal and foreign exchange unification were long overdue reforms aimed at correcting deep structural distortions in the economy.
According to the APC, the subsidy regime had for decades drained public finances, encouraged corruption, fuel smuggling and enrichment of middlemen, while offering little benefit to ordinary Nigerians.
“Economic reform is never cost-free. It is not cost-free anywhere in the world, and it is not cost-free in Nigeria. The transient and now fading hardship experienced by Nigerians was an inevitable cost of reforms meant to build and guarantee a better future for all Nigerians,” the party said.
It added that early signs of recovery were already visible, pointing to economic growth, improved foreign reserves, declining inflation and increased revenue allocations to states and local governments.
Meanwhile, the African Democratic Congress is intensifying efforts to expand its political base ahead of the 2027 general elections, with new membership figures showing a strong surge in registrations from northern Nigeria.
Data from the party’s ongoing online membership registration, obtained by ENigeria Newspaper, which began on March 1, indicates that a total of 652,143 new members have so far joined the party nationwide. Of this figure, about 555,299 registrations came from the northern region, while the southern states accounted for 96,844.
The figures place northern states such as Adamawa, Kaduna, Kano and Gombe among the leading contributors to the party’s growing membership, while states including Ekiti, Ebonyi and Bayelsa recorded some of the lowest numbers.
The registration process takes place as political parties get ready for the 2027 elections after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) released an updated schedule. The timetable states that, in accordance with the Electoral Act of 2026, political parties must turn in their membership registers between April 1 and April 21.
With notable individuals like former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, and former Minister of Transportation Chibuike Amaechi already connected to the party’s presidential contest, the increase in registrations in the northern area also corresponds with growing political interest in the ADC prior to the presidential contest.
