The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has fired back at former President Olusegun Obasanjo over his recent remarks describing President Bola Tinubu as “competing with Buhari in incompetence.”
In a statement issued on Wednesday, APC Lagos spokesman Seye Oladejo dismissed Obasanjo’s comments as laughable and “disgracefully hypocritical,” arguing that the former president lacked the moral standing to accuse anyone of incompetence.
“It is ironic that a man whose tenure is remembered more for political arrogance, squandered opportunities, and failed democratic subversion would have the audacity to label anyone incompetent,” Oladejo stated.
According to the party, Obasanjo’s administration left behind more problems than it solved.
“Under Obasanjo, billions spent on the power sector vanished without results. He left the economy with more foreign debt than he met, despite claiming to have paid it off. His infamous third-term agenda nearly plunged the nation into a constitutional crisis. And corruption thrived under the guise of reforms,” the statement read.
Oladejo added that much of Nigeria’s structural challenges could be traced back to Obasanjo’s era.
“If Nigeria is still recovering from years of decay, Obasanjo bears a huge share of the blame. The rot didn’t start with Buhari, and it certainly isn’t being deepened by Tinubu—it started long before, under leaders who now pretend to be saints,” he said.
Defending Tinubu’s policies, the APC insisted that his decisions were bold reforms, not signs of incompetence.
“President Tinubu has taken decisions no previous leader had the courage to take. Removing fuel subsidies, overhauling the foreign exchange regime, and confronting entrenched inefficiencies are not signs of incompetence but bold actions to fix what others, including Obasanjo, either broke or ignored,” the party stressed.
The statement also accused the former president of bitterness and irrelevance.
“Obasanjo’s bitterness is well known. He cannot control this government and resents that Nigeria has moved on from his brand of egocentric, do-or-die politics. His habit of attacking sitting presidents after losing relevance has become predictable and pathetic,” Oladejo said.
Urging Obasanjo to exercise restraint, the APC called on him to show decorum befitting his age.
“Elders are expected to advise, not agitate. If he has nothing constructive to say, silence would serve him and the country better than these attention-seeking outbursts,” the statement read.
Oladejo maintained that Tinubu remains focused on reforms and national recovery.
“President Tinubu is not in competition with Obasanjo or anyone else. He is focused on Nigeria’s future. The country is on a path of reform, recovery, and renewal, and no amount of potshots from bitter yesterday’s men will derail that journey,” he added.
