APC's Emerhor says Tinubu reforms stopped Venezuela-style collapse

A founding leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, Olorogun O'tega Emerhor, has said Nigeria could have slid into an economic crisis like Venezuela's if President Bola Tinubu had not taken tough decisions after taking office in 2023.

Emerhor spoke on Thursday at the Delta State APC campaign flag-off in Oleh, Isoko South Local Government Area, according to Vanguard, Leadership and Tribune, which all reported the event.

He said Tinubu met an economy worn down by years of weak management and policies that could not be sustained, and argued that the President's choices, though painful, kept the country from the edge.

Drawing a comparison with Venezuela, an oil-rich South American nation that has gone through years of economic turmoil, Emerhor said having crude reserves is not enough on its own.

"Venezuela has more oil than Nigeria, but bad leadership and years of economic mismanagement destroyed its economy," he said, adding that Nigeria had known similar governance for a long time.

Call for second term

Emerhor asked Nigerians to return Tinubu to office in 2027, warning that swapping leaders after one term would leave the recovery unfinished.

He used a building image: the foundation, he said, has been laid, and another four years would raise the structure on top of it.

He also took aim at candidates hoping to unseat the President, alleging that many of them belonged to the same political class he blamed for the country's economic troubles. He did not name them.

On the economy, Emerhor said things are beginning to steady and that the country's foreign reserves are growing. Those claims were his own assessment; he did not give figures.

In Delta, he backed Governor Sheriff Oborevwori for a second term, pointing to infrastructure and other projects under the governor's MORE Agenda. He referred to Oborevwori by his nickname, Ukodo, and said another term could push the state past Lagos in development.

Emerhor also said the crowd at the rally, which he put at more than 20,000, showed the APC's strength in the state, and he urged supporters to bring at least ten more voters each for the party's candidates.

"We have already won the election," he said. That is a prediction, not a result; the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducts the 2027 polls.

What happens next

The 2027 general election is still ahead, and no official results exist. For ordinary Nigerians, the debate will centre on whether the reforms Emerhor praised have eased the cost of living, fuel prices and jobs, or added to them.