Adams Oshiomhole, senator representing Edo north, says Nigerians are still bearing the “consequences” of the “reckless” policies of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Sunday, Oshiomhole said President Bola Tinubu should not be held responsible for the right or wrong decisions taken by the previous administration.
During the interview, the senator was asked if it is not his party — the All Progressives Congress (APC) — that has brought Nigeria to its current economic depression.
Oshiomhole responded by saying he always places national interest above partisan interests, adding that he criticised the administration of Buhari for some of its policies.
He narrated how he rejected the currency redesign policy initiated by the previous administration, which he said caused Nigerians so much pain.
“My first loyalty is to the Nigerian nation. At some point, before the last president left office, I lamented loudly what I saw as reckless policies that were designed to dehumanise the population that was already in pain,” he said.
“I felt that it is not what the then president promised. I dissociated myself from those policies and I’m happy that I was not the only one.
“There were governors who approached the court to denounce some of those policies.
“It is the long term consequences of those policies that we are still grappling with now.”
Speaking further, he said although it was his party that was in power in the last administration, Tinubu was not a member of the cabinet or an adviser.
“Yes, it is our party platform. Like Tinubu also said, he was not a minister or adviser. He never took a contract in that government and he cannot be held responsible for what the government did right or wrong,” he added.
Buhari ruled Nigeria on the APC platform from 2015 to 2023, and handed over to Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the party in the last general election.
In the buildup to the 2023 elections, Tinubu repeatedly promised Nigerians that he would build on Buhari’s legacy.
Tinubu also commended the “achievements” of the Buhari-led administration on the campaign trail.
