NDC Mum As Obi, Kwankwaso Differ On Subsidy Return, State Police

The Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) has remained silent while its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, took differing stances on the restoration of fuel subsidy and state police.

Obi had earlier rejected calls for the return of fuel subsidy but backed the creation of state police.

Speaking recently at the Nigerian Bar Association conference in Port Harcourt last month, the NDC presidential candidate rejected calls for a return to the old subsidy regime.

“I subscribe and maintain that you need to remove subsidy. Mismanagement of the proceeds shouldn’t be the reason for not removing it,” he said.

Obi maintained that the savings from subsidy removal should have been invested in critical sectors such as healthcare, education and agriculture, while also strengthening the country’s sovereign wealth fund.

He claimed that the government recovered trillions of naira from subsidy removal but failed to transparently channel the funds into productive investments that would cushion the impact on Nigerians.

He also described the passage of the State Police Bill by the National Assembly as a significant milestone but warned that the implementation process raised concerns over transparency and possible political abuse.

The former Anambra State governor, in a statement posted on his X handle, said:

“The recent passage of the State Police Bill by the National Assembly marks a significant legislative milestone in addressing a long-standing demand of the Nigerian people.

“For years, many of us, alongside security experts and regional stakeholders, have consistently argued that a highly centralised policing structure is fundamentally unsuitable for a country as vast, diverse, and complex as Nigeria. However, the legislative and constitutional implementation appears shaky and raises legitimate concerns.”

However, his running mate, in an interview on Arise TV, said their administration would reintroduce fuel subsidy, albeit in a different form.

Asked whether it would be difficult for the NDC to campaign in the North-West, where there is support for the return of subsidy, Kwankwaso said, “No, no, no, look. We are bringing subsidy in our own way.”

On how the party would achieve this, the former Kano State governor said the government could invest in refineries to increase domestic production and make petrol available to Nigerians at what he described as a reasonable price.

“Of course, there are many ways. One, I can tell you: now we have a refinery built by a businessman, and I’m sure more refineries would be built.

“Now, if individuals in this country could build refineries, I see no reason why government, under certain circumstances, will not build a refinery or refineries to the extent that we achieve the minimum requirement.”

Also, Kwankwaso rejected calls for the establishment of state police, arguing that the growing demand is largely a consequence of failures in Nigeria’s federal security system.

Speaking in an interview with News Central TV, the NDC vice-presidential candidate said he had consistently opposed state police, arguing that the proposal gained momentum because the Nigeria Police Force and other federal security agencies had struggled to adequately address insecurity.

“I have always been against state police, and I can tell you the issue of state police came because of the failure of the federal or national police,” Kwankwaso said.

In the face of these differing positions between the NDC presidential and vice-presidential candidates, the party has kept mum.

This is as the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, had yet to respond to questions sent to him on the matter as of press time.