Tambuwal stated this on Friday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he criticised the economic and social conditions in the country under the APC government.
The former governor dismissed claims by the ruling party that President Bola Tinubu’s administration had rescued Nigeria from economic collapse through difficult but necessary reforms.
According to him, the reality being experienced by ordinary Nigerians contradicts the government’s narrative of progress and recovery.
“They are entitled to their opinion. But ask common Nigerians, ordinary Nigerians, whether the APC administration has done well for Nigeria from 2015 to date. Ask a common man,” Tambuwal said.
“Ask people on the streets whether their life has improved. What they have done is rather to impoverish Nigerians and the statistics are there.”
The senator argued that the policies of the APC government had worsened hardship across the country, despite repeated assurances from government officials that the economy was recovering.
“So I don’t believe that their policies are working. Yes, it is their rhetoric that they are shouting all about around the streets. Any common man you ask from Lagos up to Maiduguri will tell you that his life has not improved under the APC administration,” he added.
Tambuwal, who is one of the prominent leaders of the African Democratic Congress-led opposition coalition, also outlined what he described as the party’s alternative plans for governance ahead of the 2027 elections.
He said the ADC had developed a clear policy direction focused on tackling insecurity, reforming the power sector, reviving agriculture, creating jobs, and improving education.
“Our manifesto is clear. It was drafted by a team led by Chief Oyegun and Pat Utomi, and the objectives are very clear that we are going to do things differently,” he said.
On security, Tambuwal said an ADC government would prioritise the welfare of security personnel while investing heavily in equipment, training, and recruitment.
“First and foremost, we must make sure that the welfare of our security personnel is top on the table as an agenda of our party. And we give them the best of equipment and training for them to be able to confront and deal with the issues of insecurity in Nigeria,” he stated.
“That is not happening now. And we plan to massively recruit more Nigerians into the armed forces, into the police, into all other security outfits for us to stamp out terrorism, banditry, and all forms of crime in Nigeria.”
He also promised reforms in the power sector and support for agriculture, saying the opposition coalition intended to provide farmers with access to affordable funding and mechanised farming tools.
“We intend to actually unbundle the power sector of Nigeria and do the right thing, making sure that we provide energy that will definitely unleash growth and development in Nigeria,” Tambuwal said.
“We have a blueprint on how to turn around the economy of Nigeria, especially by giving attention, proper attention, to agriculture so that farmers can have access to cheap funds and mechanised kind of process of farming and all the implements that is required.”
Tambuwal maintained that despite recent exits by some opposition figures from the ADC coalition, the party remained confident of victory in the 2027 elections.
He argued that the political dynamics heading into the next election cycle would be different from those witnessed in 2023.
“I see a replay of 1979 in 2027, rather than 2023 elections,” he said, suggesting that the emergence of multiple presidential contenders would not necessarily favour the ruling APC.
