Photo: L-R Mr Obi and Abubakar
By Mandy Park
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 restoration of fuel subsidy if elected president in 2027.
Obi said the removal of subsidy remained necessary, arguing that the major problem was not its removal but the alleged mismanagement of resources saved from the policy.
The former Anambra State governor spoke at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where presidential hopefuls and political leaders engaged in discussions on the economy, insecurity, policing and other challenges confronting the country.
Atiku, who campaigned for the removal of fuel subsidy during the 2023 presidential election, has said he would restore the policy if elected president in 2027.
Obi, however, maintained that subsidy removal should be retained but implemented in a structured manner, with savings from the policy channelled into productive sectors of the economy and measures capable of cushioning its impact on 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,” Obi said.
He added: “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.”
Obi said he had anticipated the challenges associated with subsidy removal and had proposed an organised approach in his manifesto ahead of the 2023 presidential 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 May 29, 2023, immediately after his inauguration, a decision that triggered a sharp increase in petrol prices and contributed to rising transportation, food and other living costs.
The subsidy debate formed part of a wider clash of ideas among opposition presidential hopefuls at the NBA conference, with the candidates offering divergent solutions to Nigeria’s economic and security challenges.
Former Rivers State governor and ADC vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, argued that Nigeria’s economy could be stabilised through massive job creation, increased local production and policies designed to put more disposable income in the hands of citizens.
Amaechi also highlighted what he described as the achievements of his administration in Rivers State, including the construction of schools, health centres and roads, while stressing the importance of intelligence gathering in combating crime.
He promised that an Atiku-Amaechi administration would ensure equitable distribution of political appointments across the country, while criticising what he described as concentration of appointments under the present administration.
The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, called for a change of government, arguing that Nigeria’s worsening security crisis could not be effectively addressed under the current leadership.
Sowore also maintained that he had consistently opposed the way fuel subsidy was administered, arguing that the benefits were largely captured by elites and political interests.
“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, argued that a change in leadership was necessary to confront terrorism, banditry and other security threats.
Adebayo, however, differed from some of the other participants on policing, advocating a three-tier policing structure involving the federal, state and local governments.
Former Cross River State governor, Donald Duke, identified leadership as the central challenge facing Nigeria, arguing that improvements in governance would have a multiplier effect across other sectors.
“If we get the leadership right, everything else will fall into place,” Duke said, while criticising the influence of ethnicity in Nigerian politics and calling for reforms to strengthen the presidential system.
Earlier, the Chief of Staff to President Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, defended the Federal Government’s proposed state police reform, describing it as an attempt to address longstanding weaknesses in Nigeria’s centralised policing system.
Speaking in a keynote address titled “Policing in Transition,” Gbajabiamila said successive governments had avoided the issue, stressing that the Tinubu administration was prepared to confront it.
He warned that centralised policing without adequate safeguards could create additional problems, but said the proposed reform would seek to establish a system that combines federal and state policing while strengthening institutional checks.
Addressing concerns that state police could be used by governors against political opponents, Gbajabiamila asked, “Who polices the police?”
He identified inadequate manpower and deployment as major challenges facing the Nigeria Police Force, noting that a significant number of officers were engaged in administrative, escort and other duties instead of core policing responsibilities.
The presidential aide also stressed the importance of training, professionalism and institutional safeguards, arguing that policing must become a respected career capable of attracting qualified Nigerians.
He said governors, as elected chief executives, should have executive authority but must not be permitted to use state police to harass or arrest political opponents.
Gbajabiamila further argued that police officers who refuse to carry out unlawful orders should be protected by law and strong institutions.
The Port Harcourt conference provided a major platform for politicians seeking the presidency in 2027 to present their positions on some of Nigeria’s most pressing challenges, including insecurity, economic hardship, fuel pricing and policing.
The divergent positions offered by the candidates underscored the policy differences likely to shape the 2027 presidential contest, particularly over how to balance economic reforms with the need to protect Nigerians from the immediate consequences of such policies.
