PDP Hits Back at Tinubu’s Independence Day Speech, Says Nigerians Are ‘Drowning in Red Sea of Economic Pain’
By Globalvoice
The Tanimu Turaki-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Independence Day address, accusing his administration of worsening economic hardship and turning Nigerians’ struggles into what it described as a political narrative.
The opposition party, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary of the Interim National Working Committee, Ini Ememobong, on Thursday, rejected the biblical analogy used by the Presidency to describe Nigeria’s journey through its current economic challenges.
The Presidency had compared the country’s struggles to the biblical journey of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, through the Red Sea, to freedom.
The PDP argued that the analogy sought to portray Tinubu as Moses leading Nigerians toward economic prosperity, but said the experience of ordinary citizens tells a different story.
“The fact is that Nigerians are travelling through a Red Sea of economic pain caused by insensitive and irresponsible leadership foisted on the country by the All Progressives Congress (APC) since 2015,” the party said.
PDP: Nigerians Worse Off Than In 2023
The opposition party acknowledged the Presidency’s assessment that Nigeria was already experiencing serious economic difficulties when Tinubu assumed office in May 2023.
The Presidency had stated that by 2023, poverty was rising and hope was nearly gone.
However, the PDP argued that many Nigerians now face even greater economic pressure.
“While this is true, as admitted by the Presidency, what is sad but even truer is that many Nigerians feel worse today than they did on May 29, 2023,” the party said.
The PDP also rejected Tinubu’s call for Nigerians to look forward rather than backward, arguing that citizens are confronted daily with rising costs of food, rent, transportation and education.
Food Prices Remain Major Concern
The party cited food prices as one of the most visible indicators of the economic pressure facing households.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), food inflation stood at 19.57 percent in August 2026 under the current Consumer Price Index series.
The PDP argued that a decline in the rate of food inflation does not necessarily mean food has become cheaper for consumers.
“Food prices remain high and unaffordable for millions of Nigerians,” the party said.
It added that the reported monthly decline in August did little to ease the burden on households already struggling with elevated food prices.
“For a family spending most of its income on food, these are not mere statistics; they mean empty plates or smaller portions,” the PDP said.
The party also claimed that food inflation remained above 35 percent in some states.
PDP Questions Business Support Claims
The opposition party also challenged the administration’s claims of supporting businesses and encouraging private enterprise.
It pointed to borrowing costs as a major obstacle for businesses despite the Central Bank of Nigeria’s reduction of the Monetary Policy Rate from 26.5 percent to 23 percent at its September 21–22, 2026 Monetary Policy Committee meeting.
“The President speaks of support for enterprise but ignores the reality that, even after the recent reduction of the Monetary Policy Rate from 26.5% to 23%, the cost of borrowing remains far too high for businesses to thrive,” the party said.
The PDP argued that monetary policy changes must translate into tangible improvements for businesses and households before their impact can be meaningfully felt by ordinary Nigerians.
PDP Turns ‘Moses’ Analogy Against Tinubu
The party subsequently turned the Presidency’s biblical comparison against the administration, describing Tinubu and the APC as the “Pharaoh” rather than the “Moses” in the analogy.
“So clearly, Tinubu and the APC are the Pharaoh who is chasing Nigerians,” the PDP said.
The opposition party also criticised what it described as the President’s frequent foreign travels, arguing that the country's leadership should remain closely connected to the realities faced by ordinary Nigerians.
The PDP said:
“This is a Pharaoh who lounges and vacations abroad while the people suffer and grumble endlessly, whereas a Moses stays and goes with his people.”
The statement represents the PDP’s political assessment of the administration and was not accompanied in the statement by independent evidence establishing that the President’s foreign travels caused or contributed to the economic difficulties described by the party.
2027 Election Looms Over Economic Debate
The PDP linked the economic debate directly to the 2027 general elections, arguing that Nigerians would have an opportunity to determine the country's political direction.
“As the elections approach in 2027, Nigerians will have an opportunity to elect their Moses, who should save them from the Pharaoh and the economic pain that they are currently facing,” the party said.
The opposition also accused the APC-led administration of worsening economic hardship, political divisions, insecurity and concerns about democratic consolidation.
“Most Nigerians agree that no administration in the history of Nigeria has put the country through the economic pain, polarisation, disunity, insecurity and threat to democratic consolidation as the APC-led Tinubu administration,” the PDP claimed.
That statement is the party's political characterization of the administration and reflects its opposition position.
PDP Says Nigerians Will Decide in 2027
The party said Independence Day should serve as a moment for Nigerians to reflect on the country's political direction ahead of the next general election.
The PDP said Nigerians would have the opportunity to determine whether the current administration should remain in power.
It also accused the Presidency of employing what it described as “political gimmicks and theatrics” ahead of the 2027 elections, including the presentation of Tinubu as the leader taking Nigerians from hardship to prosperity.
“Nigerians will see them in the real context in which they should be seen: the Pharaoh punishing and pursuing Nigerians,” the party said.
The PDP concluded by expressing confidence that Nigerians would eventually overcome the country's economic and security challenges.
“As citizens, we are assured that, like the biblical Israelites, Nigerians will escape the Red Sea and arrive in Canaan, but the pursuing Pharaoh and his team will not,” the party said.
The statement adds another layer to the increasingly political debate over Nigeria’s economy, cost of living, government reforms and the 2027 elections, with the APC-led administration defending its policies while opposition parties continue to challenge their impact on households and businesses.
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