Sowore Vows to Restore Petrol Subsidy If Elected President in 2027

The African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate argues that subsidy removal has failed Nigerians, asserting that the government continues to subsidise both petrol and the naira despite official denials.

Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), has declared that he would restore petrol subsidy if elected president in the 2027 general elections. Speaking during an appearance on Arise Television on Tuesday, the Sahara Reporters publisher also alleged that the federal government is still subsidising petrol and the naira despite its claim that subsidy has been removed. President Bola Tinubu famously ended the petrol subsidy regime on his first day in office in 2023, a declaration that immediately led to a spike in petrol prices and galloping inflation that has yet to abate. The president subsequently unified the exchange rates and floated the naira as economic hardship intensified for millions of Nigerians.

Asked whether he would bring back petrol subsidy, Sowore responded, “absolutely”. He argued that the government merely changed the name of the subsidy rather than eliminating it entirely. “In the first place, they’re still paying subsidies. They’re just changing the name of what they call it,” he said. According to Sowore, the government is subsidising not only petrol—because Nigeria does not produce enough locally—but also the naira through interventions in the foreign exchange market. “The reason the Naira is at a certain rate to a dollar is because it’s been quietly and secretly subsidised,” he stated.

The AAC candidate defended the principle of subsidies, arguing that the problem in Nigeria is not the concept of subsidy itself but rather how public resources are distributed. “You see what everybody has agreed happened to subsidy—it’s not that subsidy is bad because there’s no country that doesn’t subsidise the poor,” he said. He contended that wealthy Nigerians and businesses benefit more from government incentives than ordinary citizens, citing customs waivers granted to importers as a form of subsidy that is significantly more valuable than the relief previously enjoyed by consumers through cheaper petrol. “In fact, the people that get the most subsidy in Nigeria are not the poor; it’s the rich,” Sowore argued.

READ ALSO:

• Osun Election: Police Summon Senator Fadahunsi Over Viral ‘Kill Accord’ Threat
• Tinubu Vows to Secure Nigeria, Declares Unity Non-Negotiable Amid Worsening Insecurity
• Nigerian Young Academy, LASU to Host 16th International Conference on Convergent Research

Sowore linked the removal of fuel subsidy to the decline in the naira and broader economic challenges facing Nigerians. “And you saw what happened immediately you remove subsidy. Your economy tanked, your naira also went down the toilet,” he said. He argued that Nigeria needs to abandon what he described as an outdated economic mentality that has normalised poverty. “What we have to do differently, first and foremost, is to get rid of this old mentality and the ideas that brought poverty to become a standard and household name in Nigeria,” he said. Sowore also criticised the government’s emphasis on economic indicators, arguing that improved statistics would mean little if Nigerians continue to struggle to afford basic necessities. “It’s all about the optics. But optics don’t feed people,” he said.

The AAC candidate expressed concern over Nigeria’s food security situation, citing the latest Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) report. According to FAO projections, 34.8 million Nigerians are expected to face high levels of acute food insecurity in 2026, with approximately 1.8 million in Emergency and some 15,000 in Catastrophe in Borno State. Sowore said it was particularly troubling that Nigeria, despite being a major oil-producing country, is among nations facing food shortages. “The Food and Agricultural Organisation regards Nigeria as one of the places where you need food in 2026. That is to say we are so bad and we are about the only country producing oil that’s on FAO’s list of countries that have food shortages,” he said. The FAO has launched a three-year Emergency and Resilience Plan requiring USD 347 million to support 12.6 million vulnerable people across Nigeria’s northeast, northwest, and north-central regions.

Sowore’s comments come amid ongoing debate over the impact of subsidy removal. The reform has delivered significant fiscal benefits, with Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) distributions surging to N28.78 trillion in 2024, a 79 percent jump from the N16.28 trillion shared in 2023. However, critics argue that the fiscal windfall has not translated into visible improvements in public services, with independent monitoring groups documenting a troubling disconnect between what states are receiving and what is being delivered in terms of roads, hospitals, and schools. The Allied People’s Movement has also called on the government to provide a comprehensive account of the trillions of naira realised from subsidy removal, noting that despite over N20 trillion saved since 2023, there has been increased poverty, high cost of living, and infrastructure deficit across the country. Sowore maintained that addressing poverty and food insecurity should be prioritised over the presentation of favourable economic statistics, arguing that the government cannot claim economic success while millions of Nigerians continue to struggle to meet their basic needs.

Keep Religion Out of Nigeria’s ‘Dirty Politics,’ Gumi Tells Jingir

Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has waded into the growing controversy over the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket, defending his colleague Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir while urging all political actors to keep religion out of what he described as Nigeria’s “dirty politics.” Gumi’s intervention comes as Jingir’s recent remarks—in which he advocated for continued Muslim-Muslim presidential tickets ahead of the 2027 elections and reportedly referred to Christians as “infidels”—have sparked widespread condemnation from Christian leaders, civil society groups, and politicians across party lines.

In a Facebook post on Monday, Gumi argued that Jingir should be “excused” for what he described as an “extreme view in politics,” attributing the cleric’s position to his environment. “Sheikh Jingir should be excused for his extreme view in politics; he dwells in the eye of the storm of excessive bigotry against Islam,” Gumi wrote. Gumi, however, noted that the exploitation of religion for political purposes is not exclusive to one side of the political divide. He pointed to a recent controversy involving a Muslim vice-chancellor in Plateau State as evidence that the opposition also uses religion to garner votes. “Just recently, a mere Muslim VC in Plateau State is stirring controversy. On the other hand, the opposition is not also free from using religion to garner votes,” he said. Gumi urged politicians and religious leaders to keep religion out of partisan contests, emphasising Nigeria’s religious diversity. “In a multi-religious entity, religion should not be dragged into the quagmire of dirty politics,” he added.

The Plateau State chapter of Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) has distanced itself from comments attributed to Jingir, describing a viral statement claiming the organisation’s “100 per cent” support for the cleric as fake and misleading. In a statement, JNI Plateau Publicity Secretary, Gambo Hamza, clarified that while Jingir is entitled to personal views, such positions should not be presented as the official stance of the organisation. “JNI Plateau State neither endorsed nor authorised any statement purporting to support Sheikh Jingir ‘100%’ in relation to the Muslim-Muslim ticket or any other partisan political position,” Hamza said. The organisation urged security agencies to investigate the source of the false publication, warning that it could fuel religious tension in Plateau State, which has a history of ethno-religious conflicts. JNI also clarified that it has no official position designated as “Special Adviser on New Media” and no official named Abdulsalam Ahmad, who was reportedly associated with the disputed statement.

READ ALSO:

• South Africa Visa Applications Double From Nigerians Despite Xenophobia Concerns – Envoy
• Nigerian Mother Gifts Son a Live Goat After Polytechnic Graduation
• Radio Caroline Fined Over False King Charles III Death Announcement

Former Kano State governor and vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, also condemned Jingir’s remarks. In a post on his verified Facebook page, Kwankwaso expressed deep concern over the cleric’s comments, which reportedly included a warning that those who oppose a Muslim-Muslim ticket should leave Nigeria because the country belongs to Muslims. “Let it be clearly stated: the good people of Kano do not endorse or support these divisive remarks,” Kwankwaso wrote. He urged political and religious leaders to uphold truth, promote unity, and advance reconciliation, adding that the 2027 elections would provide Nigerians with an opportunity to assess the performance of the current administration. “The 2027 general elections will be an opportunity for Nigerians to reward good governance with resounding support and to reject poor performance at the polls. This administration has earned the latter,” he said.

Nigeria’s Ambassador-designate to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, warned that Jingir’s comments could undermine President Bola Tinubu’s re-election chances in 2027 by alienating Christian voters. Fani-Kayode, in a Facebook post, said he received more than 100 calls and messages from concerned Christians and Muslims following the publication of Jingir’s remarks. “Jingir is not only feeding into that false narrative with his reckless words, but he is also endangering the chances of our candidates in the 2027 presidential election because in order for us to win, we need BOTH Muslim AND Christian votes,” he said. He stressed that Jingir’s views were not representative of the APC or the majority of Nigerian Muslims. “Jingir does not represent the feelings of the APC and neither does he speak for us. He only speaks for himself,” Fani-Kayode said. He called on the Department of State Services (DSS) to invite and caution the cleric over his comments.

Reverend Dr Joseph John Hayab, Chairman of the Northern Christian Association, criticised three governors who were present when Jingir made the remarks, accusing them of smiling rather than condemning the comments. “When we cry out that we are being persecuted, when we cry out that there is a deliberate attempt to dominate us, people say, ‘No, this isn’t true.’ Today we have it—the man didn’t just say it in his room. He said it in the presence of three governors, and they were all smiling,” Hayab said. He argued that the governors should have immediately rebuked and rejected the remarks rather than appearing to approve them.

Former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, also condemned Jingir’s comments, warning that Nigeria risks sliding into “a dangerous form of religious majoritarianism.” Dalung questioned the wisdom of reducing Nigeria’s complex political and socioeconomic problems to a religious headcount. “A Muslim-Muslim ticket does not put food on a Muslim family’s table, secure communities from kidnappers, create jobs, or repair the country’s collapsing infrastructure,” he said. He insisted that supporters of a Muslim-Muslim ticket should defend it on measurable issues such as competence, security, justice, economic growth, and good governance—not religious identity.