The National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Felix Morka, has declared that President Bola Tinubu’s performance has surpassed that of every democratically elected president in Nigeria.

Morka made the claim on Monday during an interview on Channels Television while defending the administration’s economic policies and its record since assuming office. According to the APC spokesman, Tinubu had achieved more in his first term than any previous democratically elected president.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has outperformed any president in his first term. He has outperformed any democratically elected president in this country in their terms,” Morka said.

Asked to identify the indicators supporting his assessment, Morka argued that the evidence was already reflected in the country’s economic situation. He said the Tinubu administration inherited an economy that was in severe difficulty when it assumed office.

“The indicators are res ipsa loquitur, as we say in law; they speak for themselves. This president inherited an economy that was completely in a mess,” he said.

Morka attributed the difficult economic conditions inherited by Tinubu to what he described as failures under previous administrations. He particularly criticised the 16-year administration of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, which preceded the APC’s emergence at the federal level in 2015. According to him, former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration served as a transition period that prevented the country from deteriorating further.

“Buhari was a stopgap president that really came to keep the country from tipping over the precipice — from 16 years of horrific maladministration of the PDP government,” Morka said.

He added that Buhari subsequently handed over to Tinubu after completing his constitutional term.

“President Buhari served his term, did his job to hold the country still for President Tinubu to enter,” he said.

Morka further defended the economic reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration, arguing that they had helped Nigeria move away from what he described as severe economic difficulties.

He said improvements were becoming visible at the macroeconomic level following the implementation of the government’s policies. The APC spokesman also claimed that some critics of the administration were beginning to acknowledge the effects of the reforms. According to Morka, Nigeria had now “come out of the woods” at the macroeconomic level.

He maintained that the progress was attributable to policies implemented by the Tinubu administration and formed part of the basis for his assessment of Tinubu’s performance against previous elected presidents. The comments come amid continuing debate over the economic impact of the Federal Government’s reforms and the extent to which they have translated into improved living conditions for Nigerians.