Video: Sowore faults Atiku, Amaechi over fuel subsidy stance, attacks Obi’s Anambra record
Omoyele Sowore
Abdullateef Fowewe
The African Action Congress (AAC) 2027 presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has criticised former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and ex-Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi over their recent comments on Nigeria’s fuel subsidy policy, saying they were late in adopting a position his party had long maintained.
Speaking at the 2026 Nigerian Bar Association Annual General Conference on Monday, Sowore said the AAC had repeatedly warned that removing the subsidy would not solve underlying governance failures but would instead place the burden on ordinary Nigerians through higher fuel prices, transport costs, and inflation.
“Abubakar and @ChibuikeRotimi1 took nearly a decade to catch up with the position we have consistently maintained in the @aacparty.
“We warned that subsidy removal would simply transfer the cost of government failure to ordinary Nigerians. Now, after Nigerians have been brutally impoverished by the consequences, the same political establishment is beginning to repeat what we said all along,” Sowore said.
The activist-politician added that Nigerians needed leaders who acted before hardship became widespread rather than politicians who recognised the consequences only after citizens had suffered.
“We don’t need leaders who discover the truth only after millions of Nigerians have paid the price,” he said.
Atiku had recently called for a targeted restoration of fuel subsidy, arguing that the policy could be structured to protect vulnerable Nigerians following the economic pressure that followed the 2023 removal of the petrol subsidy.
Sowore further challenged the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi over his record as governor of Anambra State.
Sowore argued that Obi did not provide education subsidies during his tenure and accused his administration of allowing lecturers and doctors to remain on strike for 13 months.
“Peter Obi didn’t subsidise education when he was the governor of Anambra State.
“Lecturers and doctors went on strike for 13 months,” Sowore said.
While acknowledging personal goodwill towards Obi, Sowore maintained that the former governor’s performance did not meet his standard for public leadership.
“You may like Peter Obi as a person, but he did not perform as a governor,” he said.
The remarks reflect Sowore’s broader campaign message ahead of the 2027 election, which includes a call for free education at all levels and a push for voters to scrutinise the governing records of political figures seeking national office.
