2027: Obi Rejects Atiku’s Fuel Subsidy Comeback Plan, Says Proceeds Were Stolen

Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), has opposed Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s proposal to restore fuel subsidy if he wins the 2027 presidential election.

The former Anambra State governor said subsidy removal remained necessary, arguing that the failure of the Federal Government to properly manage the savings generated from the policy was not sufficient justification for bringing it back.

Obi made his position known at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where presidential candidates and representatives of opposition parties debated Nigeria’s economy, security, policing and fuel subsidy.

Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), had campaigned for fuel subsidy removal during the 2023 presidential election but has since said he would restore the policy if elected in 2027.

Reacting to the proposal, Obi said the focus should instead be on ensuring that resources recovered from subsidy removal are properly invested for the benefit of Nigerians.

“I subscribe and I maintain that we need to remove subsidy. Mismanagement of the proceeds should not be the reason for not removing it.

“What we should have done is that when we removed it, we should have given the people alternative usage for the subsidy.

“What we have today is that that removal and the attendant resources being recovered is also being mismanaged and stolen,” he said.

Obi noted that he had already outlined his position on subsidy removal in his manifesto ahead of the 2023 election.

“Go to my manifesto, I said it before, I said I will do it in an organised manner and whatever we recover would be invested appropriately,” Obi said.

President Bola Tinubu removed petrol subsidy on the day of his inauguration in May 2023, a move that resulted in a substantial rise in petrol prices and intensified concerns about the rising cost of living.

Opposition Candidates Present Different Solutions

At the NBA conference, opposition presidential candidates and political figures also offered contrasting views on the country’s security and economic challenges.

Rotimi Amaechi, former Rivers State governor and ADC vice presidential candidate, said Nigeria needed massive job creation, increased domestic production and economic policies that would leave citizens with more money.

Amaechi cited the record of his administration in Rivers State, saying it constructed more than 500 primary schools, over 300 health centres and more than 200 roads. He also said intelligence gathering was used to significantly reduce crime during his tenure.

He promised that an Atiku Abubakar-Amaechi administration would distribute political appointments equitably across the country, while accusing the Tinubu administration of concentrating appointments.

Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), called for a change of government, arguing that the current administration could not adequately resolve Nigeria’s security crisis.

Sowore also defended his long-standing opposition to the way fuel subsidy had been administered.

He said: “If there is anybody that has been consistent in the removal of fuel subsidy, it has been me. The question about fuel subsidy is: who are you subsidising? You are subsidising the elite. You are subsidising the governors.”

Sowore and Adewale Adebayo, the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), both argued that a change in leadership was necessary to tackle terrorism and other security threats.

Adebayo, however, proposed a different approach to policing, calling for a three-tier structure comprising federal, state and local government police.

Donald Duke, a former governor of Cross River State, said leadership was at the heart of Nigeria’s challenges.

“If we get the leadership right, everything else will fall into place,” Duke said.

He also condemned the growing influence of ethnicity in Nigerian politics and advocated reforms to strengthen the presidential system.

Gbajabiamila Defends State Police Reform

The Chief of Staff to President Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, earlier defended the Federal Government’s plan to introduce state police.

Speaking in a keynote address titled “Policing in Transition,” Gbajabiamila said the administration had confronted an issue that previous governments had avoided.

He warned against introducing state police without adequate safeguards.

“Centralised policing without safeguards will bring about more chaos,” he said.

Gbajabiamila explained that the proposed reform would establish a dual policing system to address weaknesses in the existing centralised structure.

On concerns that governors could use state police to target political opponents, he asked: “Who polices the police?”

He said inadequate manpower and poor deployment remained major problems for the police, noting that Nigeria had roughly one policeman for every 650 people, compared with an international benchmark of one to every 450.

He added that many officers were deployed to administrative assignments and escort duties rather than core policing responsibilities.

The presidential aide also called for greater emphasis on training, professionalism and institutional safeguards, arguing that policing should be developed into a respected profession capable of attracting competent Nigerians.

While acknowledging that governors should exercise executive authority as elected chief executives, Gbajabiamila said they must not have the power to order the arrest of political opponents.

He further maintained that police officers who reject unlawful orders should be protected, stressing that such safeguards must be supported by strong institutions.

The Port Harcourt NBA conference provided an early opportunity for major 2027 presidential contenders to put forward their positions on economic management, security, policing and governance, offering a glimpse of the policy battles expected to dominate the 2027 election campaign.

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