APM Slams Tinubu: You Cannot Pray Away Self-inflicted Hardship

The APM Tinubu criticism has intensified as the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) issued a blistering statement challenging President Bola Tinubu’s administration over what it describes as self-inflicted economic hardship on Nigerians. In a press release signed by the party’s national chairman, Yusuf Dantalle, and made available to journalists in Abuja on Thursday, the opposition party argued that no amount of religious supplication can substitute for competent governance and sound economic management. The statement comes amid growing public frustration over the rising cost of living, persistent fuel scarcity, and the naira’s continued depreciation against major currencies.

APM Demands Transparency on Presidential Movements

The opposition party specifically dared the President to disclose his actual destination during recent trips abroad, questioning the transparency of his travel schedule. According to the APM, the presidency’s refusal to provide clear information about the President’s whereabouts fuels speculation and erodes public trust. “A leader who cannot be accountable for his movements cannot demand accountability from citizens,” the statement read in part. The party further accused the administration of governing through propaganda rather than measurable results, citing the widening gap between official pronouncements and the daily realities faced by ordinary Nigerians.

This line of attack resonates with a broader sentiment across the country where citizens have taken to social media platforms to demand greater transparency from elected officials. The APM’s challenge touches on a recurring theme in Nigerian politics: the perceived disconnect between the political class and the electorate. Since the removal of fuel subsidies in May 2023, followed by the floating of the naira in June 2023, households have grappled with inflation that the National Bureau of Statistics placed at 34.19 percent as of June 2026. The APM argues that these policy choices, while framed as necessary reforms, were implemented without adequate palliatives or a clear roadmap for mitigating their impact on the vulnerable.

Prayer Versus Policy: The Core of the Dispute

At the heart of the APM’s critique is a philosophical disagreement on the role of faith in governance. The party’s statement referenced recent remarks attributed to the President during a religious gathering where he reportedly urged Nigerians to pray for the nation’s prosperity. The APM countered that “prayer is not a substitute for policy” and that “you cannot pray for the problems you inflicted on Nigerians.” This formulation has since gained traction online, with the phrase trending on X (formerly Twitter) under hashtags related to governance and accountability.

Political analysts suggest the APM’s framing is deliberate, aiming to reframe the national conversation from one of endurance to one of demand. Dr. Amina Salihu, a senior lecturer in political science at the University of Abuja, noted that opposition parties often struggle to break through the noise of government messaging. “By using morally resonant language, the APM attempts to claim the ethical high ground and position itself as the voice of the suffering majority,” she explained. Whether this translates into electoral viability remains uncertain, given the party’s limited structural presence across the federation.

Economic Indicators Fuel Opposition Narrative

The opposition’s argument finds support in recent economic data. The Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) raised the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) to 27.25 percent in September 2026, the sixth consecutive hike since the beginning of the year, in a bid to tame inflation. Meanwhile, the naira traded at approximately ₦1,650 to the US dollar at the official window, a significant depreciation from the ₦460 level recorded before the June 2023 reforms. The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) reported that over 300 member companies shut down operations in the first half of 2026, citing high operating costs and weak consumer demand.

These figures provide concrete ammunition for the APM’s claim that the administration’s policies have inflicted measurable harm. The party’s statement itemized specific grievances: the removal of electricity subsidies leading to tariff hikes of over 300 percent for Band A customers, the introduction of a cybersecurity levy on electronic transactions, and the proposed increase in Value Added Tax (VAT) from 7.5 percent to 10 percent as part of the fiscal reform bills currently before the National Assembly. Each of these measures, the APM argues, disproportionately affects low-income earners and small businesses.

Government Response and the Communication Gap

The presidency has not issued a direct rebuttal to the APM’s specific allegations as of press time. However, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, during a weekly briefing on Monday, reiterated the government’s position that the current hardships are “birth pangs” of necessary structural reforms. He cited increased revenue inflows to the Federation Account, rising foreign reserves which stood at $39.2 billion as of August 2026, and the commencement of the student loan scheme as evidence that the administration’s strategy is yielding results.

This communication gap — where official data points to macroeconomic improvements while microeconomic realities suggest deepening distress — has become a defining feature of the current political discourse. The APM exploits this dissonance, arguing that aggregate statistics mean little to a trader in Onitsha who cannot restock her shop or a civil servant in Yola whose salary has lost over 60 percent of its purchasing power since 2023. The party’s statement concluded with a demand for an immediate economic emergency declaration, a suspension of new tax measures, and the convening of a national economic summit inclusive of opposition voices, labour unions, and civil society.

Implications for Opposition Politics in 2027

The APM’s intervention, while sharp, also highlights the fragmentation of Nigeria’s opposition landscape. The party, which fielded a presidential candidate in the 2023 election but garnered less than 0.1 percent of the vote, lacks the national machinery of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or the Labour Party (LP). Yet its statement has generated disproportionate attention, suggesting a hunger for alternative voices that articulate public anger in morally clear terms. Some observers speculate that the APM may be positioning itself for a merger or coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Political historian Professor Jibrin Ibrahim of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) cautioned against reading too much into a single press release. “Opposition parties in Nigeria often make the most noise when they are least relevant electorally,” he said. “The real test is whether they can organise at the ward level, recruit credible candidates, and protect votes on election day.” Nevertheless, the APM’s language — particularly the prayer-versus-policy formulation — may enter the broader political lexicon and be adopted by more formidable opposition actors as the election cycle approaches.

Civil Society and Religious Leaders Weigh In

The debate has spilled beyond partisan politics. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) have both issued cautious statements urging the government to address the root causes of hardship rather than relying solely on spiritual interventions. In a communiqué released after its National Executive Council meeting in Lagos, CAN acknowledged the power of prayer but insisted that “faith without works is dead,” calling for “concrete, compassionate policies that put food on the table of the average Nigerian.”

Similarly, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have threatened a nationwide strike if the government proceeds with the VAT increase and fails to implement the agreed minimum wage adjustments. The labour centres argue that the government’s reform agenda has been imposed without genuine social dialogue, a charge the APM echoes in its demand for an inclusive economic summit. This convergence of opposition party, religious, and labour voices suggests a potential broadening of the accountability coalition, though historical precedent shows such alliances often fracture under political pressure.

What Nigerians Are Saying on the Streets

In markets, motor parks, and university campuses across major cities, the APM’s phrase has become a shorthand for frustration. “They removed subsidy, floated the naira, increased electricity tariff, brought cybersecurity levy, now they want to increase VAT — and they tell us to pray?” asked Chinedu Okafor, a spare parts dealer at Ladipo Market in Lagos. “Pray for what? For the money they are sharing in Abuja?” His sentiment was echoed by Aisha Bello, a final-year student at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, who said her transport fare to campus has tripled in eighteen months. “My parents are pensioners. Their pension doesn’t buy half of what it used to. We are not asking for miracles. We are asking for competence.”

These voices, while anecdotal, reflect the lived experience that gives the APM’s criticism its resonance. The party’s statement may be politically motivated, but the grievances it articulates are empirically grounded and widely shared. Whether the administration chooses to engage substantively with these concerns or dismiss them as partisan noise will shape the political climate in the months leading to the 2027 elections.

FAQ

What is the APM’s main criticism of President Tinubu?

The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) argues that President Tinubu’s administration has inflicted economic hardship on Nigerians through policies like fuel subsidy removal, naira floating, and tax increases, and that prayers cannot solve problems caused by governance failures.

Has the presidency responded to the APM’s statement?

As of October 29, 2026, the presidency has not issued a direct rebuttal to the APM’s specific allegations, though the Minister of Information has defended the administration’s reforms as necessary structural adjustments yielding macroeconomic improvements.

What specific policies does the APM oppose?

The APM opposes the removal of electricity subsidies, the cybersecurity levy on electronic transactions, the proposed VAT increase from 7.5% to 10%, and the lack of adequate palliatives for citizens affected by the 2023 economic reforms.

Does the APM have significant electoral strength?

The APM garnered less than 0.1% of the vote in the 2023 presidential election and lacks national structural presence, but its recent statement has gained traction due to its resonance with widespread public frustration over the cost of living.

Source: Naija News

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