Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has accused Nigerian politicians of using fuel subsidy removal to benefit themselves while worsening the economic hardship faced by ordinary Nigerians.
Sowore made the allegation while speaking at the ongoing 66th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where he and other presidential candidates are panelists.
He said the debate over fuel subsidy removal had been repeatedly used by successive governments to make promises to Nigerians, yet the country had continued to experience economic hardship decades after the policy was first introduced.
According to him, he had remained consistent in opposing the removal of fuel subsidy, insisting that the policy had not produced the promised benefits for Nigerians.
Sowore questioned who was actually benefiting from subsidy removal, arguing that state governors had become the major beneficiaries because of the increased revenue available to them.
“Peter Obi Didn’t Subsidize Education When he was the Governor of Anambra state, Lecturers and Doctors went on strike for 13months you may Like Peter Obi as A Person but he did not Perform as A Governor”
~ Sowore says pic.twitter.com/SqisfW6lZn
— Nigeria Stories (@NigeriaStories) August 24, 2026
“If there has been anyone who has been consistent with non-removal of fuel subsidy, it has been me. It took Amaechi,and his principal almost 10 years to catch up with me. They have now reversed their position on fuel susbsidy.
“The question about subsidy is who are you subsidising? You are subsidising the governors. The only people who are doing well since they removed fuel subsidy are the governors of states,” he said.
He recalled that subsidy had been removed several times in the past, despite assurances that the measure would make Nigeria better.
“I was a student in 1989, they removed subsidy. In 1990, they removed subsidy. They said Nigeria will be better. We are in 2026, they are still removing subsidy,” Sowore said.
The AAC candidate also questioned the government’s handling of subsidies on other petroleum products, arguing that the poor had mainly benefited from petrol subsidy.
“The poor people of this country only benefit on subsidy from petrol, gasoline. There is no subsidy on kerosene, what did they do with it? There is no subsidy on jet fuel, what did they do with it? Nothing,” he said.
Sowore further accused politicians of misleading Nigerians on the issue, urging citizens to scrutinise the arguments being presented to justify subsidy removal.
He said, “Please don’t let these politicians lie to you,” insisting that the policy should be assessed based on its impact on ordinary Nigerians.
Sowore also took a swipe at former Anambra State Governor and Nigeria Democratic Congress Presidential candidate, Peter Obi, disputing claims about his performance while serving as governor.
He alleged that lecturers and doctors in Anambra State embarked on prolonged strikes during Obi’s tenure and argued that Obi did not subsidise education as claimed by some of his supporters.
“You may like Peter Obi as a person but he did not perform as governor,” Sowore said.
He maintained that Nigerians should not allow political interests to determine the direction of economic policies, stressing that government decisions should prioritise the welfare of citizens.
Hafsoh Isiaq is a graduate of Linguistics. An avid writer committed to creative, high-quality research and news reportage. She has considerable experience in writing and reporting across a variety of platforms including print and online.
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