African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate for the 2027 election, Omoyele Sowore, has taken aim at former Rivers State Governor and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, over their records in government and positions on fuel subsidy.
Speaking on Monday at the ongoing Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Sowore accused Nigeria’s political class of repeatedly supporting policies that place the burden of economic hardship on ordinary citizens while the political elite continue to benefit.
Sowore insisted that he had remained consistent in opposing the removal of fuel subsidies, accusing Amaechi and his political allies of only recently changing their position on the controversial policy.
“If there’s anyone who has been consistent about not removing our subsidies, it has been me. And it took Amaechi and his principal almost 10 years to catch up with me,” Sowore said.
He argued that the subsidy debate should not simply focus on whether subsidies should be removed, but on who actually benefits from government policies.
“The question about subsidies is: Who are you subsidising? You are subsidising the elite. You are subsidising the government,” he said.
According to Sowore, state governments have become major beneficiaries of the increased revenue allocations that followed the removal of fuel subsidies, while ordinary Nigerians continue to struggle with higher living costs.
“The only people who are doing well since they removed subsidies are the governments of states,” he said.
Sowore also questioned the repeated promises made by successive governments whenever fuel subsidies were removed.
“I was a student in 1988. And in 1989, they removed subsidies. In 1990, they removed subsidies. They said Nigeria will be better.
“We are in 2026. They are still removing subsidies,” he said.
The AAC candidate further accused the government of President Bola Tinubu of shifting the burden of its economic policies onto Nigerians.
“They are robbing Peter Obi to pay for Bola Tinubu,” Sowore declared.
He maintained that poorer Nigerians had been among those benefiting from petrol subsidies, while pointing out that similar support was not available for other petroleum products.
“The poor people of this country only benefit from subsidies from petrol, gasoline. There is no subsidy on kerosene. There is no subsidy on A1 jet fuel.
“Please, don’t let these politicians lie to you,” he said.
Turning directly to Amaechi, Sowore challenged politicians who had previously occupied government positions to account for their records before seeking another opportunity to govern.
He referenced Amaechi’s acknowledgment that many politicians seeking power had already been in government and had failed to deliver the expected results.
“I love one thing that Amaechi said. He said, apart from Sowore and Adebayo, the rest of us have been in government and we have failed,” Sowore said.
“There are no people coming back. You guys should be apologising to the Nigerian people.”
Sowore also criticised Amaechi’s record as Minister of Transportation, particularly the railway projects undertaken during his tenure.
“We have a former governor, Rivers State, Amaechi, who built the railway line that went nowhere,” he said.
“If that rail line was working, subsidy would have been working for the people of Rivers State.”
Sowore insisted that his comments were not a personal attack but argued that Nigerians must scrutinise the records of politicians who have previously held public office.
“I am not attacking you. But your records are here in Rivers State. And we cannot ignore that most of you have governed before,” he said.
He also criticised Peter Obi’s record as governor of Anambra State, particularly over education and industrial actions involving public-sector workers.
“Who refused to subsidise your people? Peter Obi did not subsidise education in his state. Lecturers and doctors went on strike for 13 months,” Sowore alleged.
“You may like him as a president, but he did not perform as a governor.”
Sowore’s remarks come as political figures increasingly position themselves ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with the subsidy debate remaining one of the most contentious economic and political issues in Nigeria.
His central message at the NBA conference was that politicians who have previously governed must be judged not only by their promises for the future but also by their records in office—and, where they failed Nigerians, should be prepared to apologise.