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The presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has disagreed with the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, over the proposed return of petrol subsidy if elected president in 2027.
Obi said the removal of subsidy remained necessary, arguing that the problem was the alleged mismanagement of the resources saved from the policy rather than the removal itself.
The former Anambra State governor spoke on Wednesday at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, while responding to the debate over Atiku’s proposal.
Atiku, who supported the removal of petrol subsidy during the 2023 presidential election, has proposed a redesigned subsidy regime if elected president in 2027.
However, Obi said the alleged mismanagement of subsidy savings should not be used as an argument for restoring the policy.
“I subscribe and I maintain that we need to remove subsidy. Mismanagement of the proceeds should not be the reason for not removing it,” Obi said.
He argued that the government should have provided alternatives for Nigerians and properly invested the resources recovered from subsidy removal.
“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 said he had advocated a structured approach to 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,” he said.
President Bola Tinubu announced the removal of petrol subsidy on his inauguration day in May 2023, triggering a sharp increase in petrol prices and concerns over the rising cost of living.
Other opposition candidates weigh in
The subsidy debate formed part of a wider clash among opposition presidential candidates at the NBA conference, where they also presented differing positions on the economy, security and the structure of policing in Nigeria.
Former Rivers State governor and ADC vice-presidential candidate Rotimi Amaechi said the economy could be stabilised through massive job creation, increased local production and policies that would put more money in the pockets of Nigerians.
Amaechi, who highlighted his record as Rivers State governor, said his administration built more than 500 primary schools, over 300 health centres and more than 200 roads, while using intelligence gathering to reduce crime.
He also said an Atiku-Amaechi administration would ensure equitable distribution of political appointments across the country, criticising what he described as the concentration of appointments under the Tinubu administration.
The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, called for a change of government, arguing that Nigeria’s security challenges could not be resolved under the present administration.
Sowore also opposed the existing approach to fuel subsidy, saying he had consistently advocated its removal because of the way it was administered.
“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,” he said.
On security, Sowore and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate, Adewale Adebayo, called for a change in leadership to tackle terrorism and other security threats.
Adebayo, however, differed with other speakers on the structure of policing, advocating a three-tier system involving federal, state and local government police.
Former Cross River State governor Donald Duke said leadership remained the central challenge confronting Nigeria, arguing that getting the leadership question right would have a multiplier effect across other sectors.
“If we get the leadership right, everything else will fall into place,” Duke said.
He also criticised the influence of ethnicity in Nigerian politics and called for reforms to strengthen the presidential system.
FG defends state police proposal
Earlier, the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, defended the Federal Government’s proposed state police reform, saying the Tinubu administration had confronted an issue successive governments had avoided.
In a keynote address titled “Policing in Transition”, Gbajabiamila said the proposed state police system was intended to address the limitations of Nigeria’s centralised policing structure.
“Centralised policing without safeguards will bring about more chaos,” he warned.
He said the proposed reform was being designed around a dual policing system that would address existing gaps while incorporating safeguards against abuse.
Responding to concerns that state police could be used by governors against political opponents, Gbajabiamila asked: “Who polices the police?”
He identified inadequate police manpower and deployment as major challenges, saying Nigeria had about one police officer to every 650 people, compared with an international benchmark of one to 450.
He added that the situation was compounded by the deployment of many police officers to administrative and escort duties instead of core policing responsibilities.
The presidential aide also stressed the need for improved training, professionalism and institutional safeguards, saying policing should become a respected career capable of attracting competent Nigerians.
Gbajabiamila acknowledged that governors, as elected chief executives, should have executive authority but insisted that they should not be allowed to order the arrest of political opponents.
He also said police officers who reject unlawful orders must be protected, arguing that such protection should be backed by strong institutions rather than assurances alone.
The NBA conference provided an early major platform for 2027 presidential hopefuls and their representatives to set out competing positions on economic management, fuel subsidy, security, policing and governance, offering a glimpse of the policy battles likely to shape the 2027 presidential election.
