Politics
Amaechi: Atiku will restore electricity subsidy if elected in 2027
Amaechi: Atiku will restore electricity subsidy if elected in 2027
Former Rivers State governor and African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, has said the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, will restore electricity subsidy if elected president in the 2027 presidential election.
Amaechi made the declaration on Thursday during ward visits across Omuma Local Government Area of Rivers State, where he campaigned for the ADC and presented Atiku’s message to residents.
The former governor criticised the electricity tariff policies of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration, arguing that changes in the power sector had increased the financial burden on electricity consumers.
Using his personal electricity bill as an example, Amaechi claimed that his monthly bill had risen from N500,000 to N4 million.
“My house electricity bill was N500,000; now I pay N4 million. Atiku said if he comes, I will go back to N500,000. No more Band A and B because government will subsidise it,” he said. (Vanguard News)
Amaechi said Atiku had promised to reintroduce government support for electricity costs if elected, arguing that such intervention would make power more affordable for households and businesses.
“Atiku said I should tell you people that he will bring back the subsidy. Tinubu removed subsidy for electricity bill. He said Band A, B and C,” Amaechi said.
His comments come amid an ongoing debate over the future of electricity subsidies in Nigeria, with the Federal Government seeking to reduce its financial burden on the power sector.
Nigeria operates a differentiated electricity tariff system in which consumers are placed in service bands according to the number of hours of supply they are expected to receive. Band A customers are expected to receive at least 20 hours of electricity supply per day, while Bands B, C, D and E have progressively lower minimum supply requirements.
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The tariff structure was designed to link the amount consumers pay more closely to the level of electricity service they receive.
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) increased the tariff for Band A customers in April 2024, moving the rate from N66 to N225 per kilowatt-hour. The regulator said the review was intended to reduce the government’s subsidy burden while supporting improvements in electricity supply.
Despite the tariff reforms, the Federal Government has continued to spend significant sums to subsidise electricity.
According to figures contained in the government’s Economic Reform Scorecard, the Federal Government spent N3.14 trillion on electricity subsidies between June 2023 and December 2025 to cushion consumers from the impact of higher electricity tariffs. The subsidy expenditure rose from N177 billion in 2023 to N1.48 trillion in 2024 and stood at N1.47 trillion in 2025. (TheCable)
The government has, however, announced plans to gradually phase out electricity subsidy payments from 2027.
Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe said in July that the government planned to end the subsidy regime from next year as part of efforts to address the financial challenges confronting the power sector.
Tegbe also said the planned phase-out should not be interpreted as an immediate increase in electricity tariffs, stressing that the government was focused on improving supply, expanding metering and making the sector more financially sustainable.
The policy position puts the Federal Government and the opposition ADC on different sides of an increasingly important issue ahead of the 2027 elections.
While the government argues that continued subsidies place a heavy financial burden on public finances and that the power sector needs a more sustainable funding model, Amaechi is campaigning on a promise that an Atiku administration would restore government support for electricity consumers.
Amaechi also attacked the Tinubu administration over the removal of petrol subsidy, blaming the policy for higher transportation costs and rising prices of food and other essential commodities.
“He (Tinubu) just held microphone and didn’t care. He just said remove subsidy. Since he removed subsidy, transportation increased, food prices increased — tomatoes, corn, everything,” he said.
The former governor further linked the country’s insecurity crisis to worsening economic conditions, particularly for farmers.
According to Amaechi, insecurity has made it increasingly difficult for farmers to access their farms, affecting food production and contributing to higher prices.
“Insecurity also increased. You no even fit go farm, and government doesn’t care,” he said.
He then reiterated Atiku’s proposed subsidy policy, saying: “Atiku said he will bring back subsidy. If Atiku brings back subsidy, everything will come down.”
Amaechi’s comments form part of the ADC’s campaign ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with the opposition party positioning economic hardship, electricity costs, fuel prices, food inflation and insecurity as key issues for voters.
The former governor’s claim that his electricity bill increased from N500,000 to N4 million was presented as a personal example of the financial impact he associates with the current tariff regime. The claim has not been independently verified in the reports reviewed.
The broader debate over electricity subsidy is expected to intensify as the government moves towards its planned 2027 phase-out and political parties develop competing proposals for reducing the cost of electricity while ensuring the financial sustainability of the power sector.
For the ADC, Amaechi’s promise that Atiku would restore electricity subsidy provides a direct political response to the Federal Government’s plan, placing electricity tariffs and subsidy policy among the issues likely to dominate the 2027 election campaign.
Amaechi: Atiku will restore electricity subsidy if elected in 2027
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Politics
2027: Ajaero Questions Tinubu, Atiku, Obi’s Economic Approach, Highlights Adebayo’s Ideas
2027: Ajaero Questions Tinubu, Atiku, Obi’s Economic Approach, Highlights Adebayo’s Ideas
President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has questioned the economic positions of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, while saying the ideas of Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate Adewole Adebayo deserve serious attention ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Ajaero made the comments during an interview with Seun Okinbaloye on Mic On, where he was asked about the economic policies of Atiku and other leading figures in the 2027 race.
Rather than focusing solely on Atiku’s economic proposals, the NLC president highlighted the positions of Adebayo and Accord Party presidential candidate Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, saying he had examined their ideas and was willing to listen to them.
“I have looked at Gbenga Hashim’s position and I think he’s an expert to an extent. I also looked at Adebayo. I may listen to them,” Ajaero said.
He subsequently contrasted the economic approaches of Adebayo and Olawepo-Hashim with those of Tinubu, Atiku and Obi.
“Peter Obi, Atiku and Asiwaju, they all have the same position and they have shown that they are market people from far right,” he said.
Ajaero’s remarks have drawn attention to the economic debate ahead of the 2027 election, particularly as issues such as inflation, fuel prices, electricity costs, unemployment, wages and declining purchasing power remain major concerns for Nigerians.
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Adebayo, who is contesting the 2027 presidency on the SDP platform, has built his campaign around social democracy, increased domestic production, job creation and a stronger role for government in providing public services and expanding economic opportunities.
The SDP candidate has also made energy reform a major part of his campaign, arguing that high energy costs and inadequate electricity supply continue to constrain households, businesses and industrial production.
His policy blueprint, Farewell to Poverty and Insecurity: Governance & Accelerated Development — Blueprint of a New Nigeria, 2027–2031, proposes mechanisms for monitoring government performance through measurable targets, periodic assessments and implementation milestones.
Adebayo has also advocated greater emphasis on domestic production, with the argument that Nigeria must reduce its dependence on imports and foreign exchange while strengthening local industries and productive capacity.
Olawepo-Hashim, whom Ajaero also mentioned, has similarly made energy and industrialisation central to his economic programme. His proposed Energy First agenda focuses on increasing domestic energy production, expanding refining capacity and reducing energy costs.
Ajaero’s comments do not amount to a formal endorsement of Adebayo or Olawepo-Hashim for the 2027 presidential election. Rather, the NLC president said their economic proposals were sufficiently different from those of the politicians he discussed to warrant further engagement.
The intervention comes as political parties and presidential candidates increasingly position their economic policies at the centre of the 2027 campaign, with competing proposals on fuel pricing, taxation, electricity, wages, industrialisation, employment and social protection.
For the NLC, which represents organised labour and has been at the forefront of debates over wages and the impact of economic reforms on workers, the direction of the next administration’s economic policy is expected to remain a major issue ahead of the election.
With the 2027 political contest gathering momentum, the competing economic visions of the presidential candidates are likely to face increased scrutiny from organised labour, businesses and voters as parties intensify their campaigns.
2027: Ajaero Questions Tinubu, Atiku, Obi’s Economic Approach, Highlights Adebayo’s Ideas
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Politics
2027: Soludo Govt Accuses Peter Obi Of Plot To Destroy APGA
2027: Soludo Govt Accuses Peter Obi Of Plot To Destroy APGA
The Anambra State Government has declared former governor Peter Obi and his Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) a threat to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) ahead of the 2027 presidential election, urging APGA supporters to resist the opposition party.
The state government made the declaration in a message issued through its New Media office on Monday, accusing Obi of working to weaken the party that gave him the platform to become governor of Anambra.
The government described its message as a “betrayal alert” to APGA supporters, alleging that Obi had been seeking to undermine the party since leaving it in 2014.
It urged party members in the state not to be swayed by Obi’s current political influence, arguing that APGA remained the political platform responsible for his emergence as governor.
The government said, “Since 2014, Obi has had one mission: to destroy the party that made him,” while calling on APGA members to defend the party ahead of the 2027 elections.
The development comes amid an increasingly tense political relationship between Obi and the administration of Governor Chukwuma Soludo.
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Obi governed Anambra from 2006 to 2014 on the APGA platform before leaving the party for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He later joined the Labour Party, under which he contested the 2023 presidential election, before becoming the presidential candidate of the NDC ahead of the 2027 election.
The former governor remains an influential political figure in the South-East, particularly in Anambra, where his 2023 presidential campaign recorded strong support.
The Anambra government’s latest position also comes against the backdrop of APGA’s alignment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The state government has previously defended its relationship with the President and maintained that supporting Tinubu does not conflict with APGA’s interests.
However, Obi’s emergence as the NDC presidential candidate has created a new political challenge for APGA, particularly because of his longstanding influence among voters in Anambra and the wider South-East.
The NDC has rejected the allegations against Obi, accusing the Soludo administration of attacking the former governor because of concerns about his popularity.
NDC Director of New Media and Strategic Communications, Theo Abu Agada, described the state government’s position as political blackmail and maintained that the party was confident of its prospects in the 2027 election.
The latest exchange has further widened the political divide between the camps of Peter Obi and Chukwuma Soludo, with both sides increasingly positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 presidential contest.
For APGA, the emergence of Obi and the NDC presents a particularly sensitive political challenge because of the former governor’s history with the party and his continued influence in Anambra.
The 2027 election is therefore expected to produce a major political contest in the state, with APGA seeking to retain its influence while Obi’s NDC attempts to convert his personal support base into wider electoral backing.
2027: Soludo Govt Accuses Peter Obi Of Plot To Destroy APGA
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Politics
Nine Zamfara Lawmakers Dump APC for ADC Ahead of 2027
Nine Zamfara Lawmakers Dump APC for ADC Ahead of 2027
Nine members of the Zamfara State House of Assembly have left the All Progressives Congress (APC) and defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The lawmakers cited concerns over insecurity, internal party divisions and what they described as inadequate attention to the welfare of residents and their constituents as reasons for their decision.
The lawmakers are Aliyu Ango Kagara, representing Talata Mafara South; Muktar Nasir, representing Kaura Namoda North; Faruk Dosara Musa, representing Maradun I; Basiru Bello, representing Bungudu West; Bashir A. Masama, representing Bukkuyum North; Ibrahim T. Tukur, representing Bakura; Nasiru Abdullahi, representing Maru North; Yusuf Muhammad Anka, representing Anka; and Bashar Aliyu, representing Gummi I.
Speaking on behalf of the lawmakers, Kagara said their concerns about the security situation in Zamfara had contributed to disagreements with the state government.
He said the lawmakers had raised the issue of insecurity on the floor of the Assembly, but that their position led to disagreements with Governor Dauda Lawal and their subsequent suspension.
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Kagara also alleged that joining the APC did not resolve their grievances, claiming that some party leaders failed to give them what they considered a fair hearing.
Earlier, some of the lawmakers announced their resignation from the APC in separate letters dated October 4, 2026.
In the letters, the lawmakers cited issues including insecurity, alleged injustice, internal divisions, uncertainty and concerns about governance.
One of the lawmakers also alleged that members of the Assembly had gone about 32 months without receiving salaries, allowances and other entitlements.
The claims about unpaid entitlements and other grievances are allegations by the affected lawmakers and have not been independently established in the reports.
The APC in Zamfara initially said it had not received official copies of the resignation letters. The party’s publicity secretary, Ibrahim Birnin-Magaji, said the documents had been seen on social media and that the party was awaiting formal communication through the appropriate party structures.
The defection represents a significant political realignment in Zamfara ahead of the 2027 elections, with the movement of the lawmakers potentially affecting the political balance within the state legislature.
Nine Zamfara Lawmakers Dump APC for ADC Ahead of 2027
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