The Director-General of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Abdulaziz Yari, has said hardworking Nigerians should be able to afford food, arguing that the availability of food in markets means people who have money should not go hungry.
Yari made the statement on Friday during the APC rally in support of President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
The former Zamfara State governor acknowledged that Nigerians were experiencing hunger but questioned whether people who went to markets with money were unable to find food to buy.
He asked residents of Akwa Ibom whether they had experienced situations where they visited markets with money but could not find rice or other food items.
“We have food in the market. I don’t know, in Akwa Ibom, are there any person who took his money to the market and found out there is no rice? Are there anybody with his money in his pocket, go to the market to get foodstuff and say that there is no foodstuff in the market?” he said.
Yari argued that the availability of food in markets meant Nigerians who were willing to work could provide for themselves.
“If there is no food in the market, that is what we are calling hunger. But anyone who is not a lazy person, definitely he will have food on his table,” he added.
His comments come amid growing concerns over the rising cost of food and the economic hardship confronting many Nigerian households, with the cost of living expected to remain a major issue ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The remarks also come amid a political disagreement over who should take responsibility for the country’s economic challenges.
At an APC presidential campaign rally in Kaduna on October 24, Tinubu blamed past leaders, particularly opposition figures, for the hunger and poverty facing Nigerians.
“I hear my opponents talking about hunger. Who created it? They did. They created hunger and poverty. We are trying to eradicate them,” the President said.
Tinubu defended his administration’s economic policies, saying the government had been paying salaries regularly. He also promised Nigerians greater prosperity if re-elected in 2027.
However, his comments drew criticism from opposition figures, including former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who accused the President of shifting responsibility for the country’s economic situation.
Atiku, the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, described the President’s position as a “delusion” and argued that government policies were responsible for much of the hardship Nigerians were experiencing.
He also faulted the administration’s handling of petrol subsidy removal and the depreciation of the naira, insisting that Nigerians had the right to demand explanations over the rising cost of living.
Similarly, the National Democratic Congress criticised Tinubu’s remarks, with its National Chairman, Moses Cleopas, saying the President and the ruling APC should take responsibility for the country’s economic situation instead of blaming political opponents.
Cleopas, in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, described the attempt to blame critics for the government’s failure to provide relief to Nigerians as irresponsible.
