A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Segun Sowunmi, has questioned the credibility of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi to speak on poverty in Nigeria, citing their years in public office.
Sowunmi made the remarks during an interview on Vanguard’s Politics Hub while discussing President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid ahead of the 2027 general elections and responding to opposition criticism of the ruling party.
He argued that opposition figures who had spent years in government should be assessed based on their records before presenting themselves as advocates for Nigerians struggling with economic hardship.
Sowunmi specifically criticised Amaechi, saying the former Rivers governor had spent much of his political career in public office before recently positioning himself as a voice against poverty.
“The opposition that all of their lives, they have just been eating from both sides of their mouths like Rotimi Amaechi, who spent the last 24 years, minus the time that they asked him to go and sit down somewhere; he has been in government, and suddenly Rotimi is the epitome that’s going to tell you that there’s poverty in Nigeria?” he said.
Sowunmi accuses Atiku of being disconnected from the poor
The APC chieftain also questioned Atiku’s ability to understand the experiences of low-income Nigerians, pointing to his tenure as vice-president under former President Olusegun Obasanjo between 1999 and 2007.
Sowunmi criticised Atiku’s public lifestyle, particularly his security convoy and demeanour, arguing that these made it difficult for him to empathise with ordinary Nigerians.
“Up till today, have you seen vice president that goes around the way Atiku is going around with convoy, in terms of his panache, Atiku is suffering from what you call an Emir complex,” he said.
Explaining the phrase, Sowunmi likened what he described as an “Emir complex” to the behaviour of a powerful figure accustomed to receiving deference and special treatment from people around him.
He said Atiku was therefore not in a position to present himself as a champion of poor Nigerians.
“So he has no capacity to know or empathise with the poor. He is not a patron deity of the poor,” Sowunmi added.
2027 election debate intensifies
Sowunmi maintained that criticism of Tinubu’s administration should be considered alongside the records of the opposition figures making the allegations.
The comments come amid political discussions ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with opposition figures challenging the APC-led government over economic hardship and other national issues.
Tinubu is seeking re-election, while APC governors and some governors elected on other party platforms have expressed support for his second-term ambition.
Sowunmi’s remarks represent his assessment of the opposition leaders’ credibility and their ability to speak for Nigerians facing poverty.
