The Chief Promoter of the Alternative Movement, Otunba Segun Showunmi, on Saturday criticised former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s proposal to restore petrol subsidy, saying such a policy would amount to taking Nigeria “back to Egypt”
Atiku, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate for the 2027 election, has said he would restore petrol subsidy if elected, arguing that Nigerians should benefit from the country’s resources and that the removal of the subsidy has worsened living conditions
Speaking in Abeokuta during a sensitisation and mobilisation programme in support of President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid, Showunmi rejected the proposal and defended the administration’s economic direction
“We have tried subsidies in this country We started starting it from 1973. And between 1973 and date, we have seen the result. If it had worked, wouldn’t we have seen it?” Showunmi asked.
“We have seen that nothing has worked They couldn’t even repair a refinery for so many years. And one private sector person has run a refinery.”
He described proponent of the subsidy return as “overtly and inordinately ambitious”, saying is Nigeria will never return back to Egypt
“Forward ever, backward never,” he said
Showunmi said he had spent the past year defending what he described as the economic policies and direction of the Tinubu administration
“If you have been following me, and I know you have, for the past one year, I have been screaming and shouting that the economic direction, the policy ideas, and the things that the President Bola Tinubu is doing, is the right direction for the country,” he said
According to him, government revenues had improved across the three tiers of government
“Now you have gotten to the point where there’s money in the local government, there’s money in the state, there’s money in the federal,” he said
Showunmi also argued for continuity in governance, saying governments needed sufficient time to implement long-term economic policies
“We cannot be changing leadership every four years Democracy is very difficult, and the ability to be able to even run policy requires a bit of time,” he said.
Showunmi said he had begun mobilising grassroots supporters ahead of the 2027 election, including at polling-unit level
“I’ve empowered them, I’ve told them to enter the polling unit and start the polling unit work,” he said
He said the mobilisation would subsequently extend to the local government areas in Ogun Central
“Thereafter, I’m going to go to each of the six local governments in Ogun Central
“We are not social media politicians We are not television politicians. I am a grassroots politician through and through,” he said.
On the growing opposition to Tinubu from politicians in the South, Showunmi said he was not worried
“You will never see the moon and the star come out when the sun is out
“Anybody, especially from Yoruba nation, who is calling himself anything, when the sun is out, is wasting the time,” he said
He further said those aspiring to challenge Tinubu are “wasting their resources”
“Anyone who says he is going to be running up and down television, deceiving himself, wasting the little resources he has, claiming that he can win presidency here, he is a joker,” he said
“This election is Bola Tinubu’s election to win”
Showunmi appealed to Yoruba voters to support Tinubu, warning against a situation in which the North produced more votes for the president than the South-West
“I have come home to beg the Yoruba people that you will not be ashamed,” he said
“Because when the election is over, and the people of North-East, and the people of North-West, and the people of North-Central produce more votes than you, then where will you put your face? Therefore, it is time to work now We are back to 2003.”