Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has again vowed that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) must relinquish power in 2027.
Atiku, a leader of the opposition working to defeat President Bola Tinubu in 2027, spoke during a public lecture with the theme “Weaponisation of poverty as a means of underdevelopment: A case study of Nigeria.”
The event was in commemoration of Rotimi Amaechi’s 60th birthday, in Abuja on Saturday.
Atiku bemoaned the level of poverty in Nigeria, noting that even Kano had been hit so hard.
He stated that while growing up, he, like many others, knew Kano as one of the wealthiest northern cities with citizens catered to.
He said, “I never saw people sleeping outside or outside their shops because then, there were no bridges or flyovers. Recently, I saw people sleeping on the streets and under the bridges who were driven out by poverty.”
“There is a state agency in Kano responsible for taking care of such people and enlightening them, and they started doing their work. What happened? They were invited to Abuja and were told to stop.”
“That is why I said I wanted to amend the topic of today to add ‘State Weaponisation of Poverty.’
“This particular government is weaponising poverty. That is why we are in this alliance – to make sure we don’t allow them to continue to weaponise poverty.”