Labour Party (LP) Presidential candidate in the February 25 presidential election, Peter Obi, has lambasted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration over its recent claims of inheriting a bankrupt treasury from his predecessor Muhammadu Buhari.
Recall that the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, had on Monday claimed that the country was running on deficit due to the liabilities it inherited. Also, at a meeting with investors in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, Tinubu also said he inherited liabilities from his predecessors.
However, Obi, while reacting on X (formerly Twitter) account, said the excuse had become a norm for the All-Progressives Congress (APC), adding that Buhari also made the same allegation when his predecessor former President Goodluck Jonathan handed over power to him in 2025, stressing that what the APC-led government lacks is transparency and accountability.
Obi said, “I just read yesterday, a widely publicised story from the present APC-led Federal Government, saying that they inherited a bankrupt nation from their predecessor APC administration. But the story failed to disclose what they inherited, which had qualified us for bankruptcy status.
“One major characteristic of responsible governance is transparency and strict accountability. This demands that the government disclose exactly the degree of deficit they inherited. What is inherited should be disclosed to enable the public to know where we are and where we are headed.
“Recall that the previous APC Government made a similar claim in 2015 against the PDP administration that handed over to them without telling the nation what it inherited”.
Obi, while condemning the N2.17 trillion supplementary budget which had unnecessary provisions for government officials at the detriment of Nigerians grappling with hardship, also lambasted the Federal Government, under APC, for heavy borrowings that had surged the country’s debt profile.
