Subsidy Removal: “You Finally Agree with Tinubu, Just Want to Grab Power” – Presidency Mocks Peter Obi

The Presidency has taken a swipe at Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, accusing him of aligning with President Bola Tinubu’s policies while harboring a desire to seize power without offering clear alternatives.

Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, made the remarks on Monday following Obi’s appearance on Arise Television. During the interview, Obi acknowledged there was nothing wrong with Tinubu’s decision to remove the fuel subsidy—a major economic policy that has sparked national debate. He also referenced the unification of the foreign exchange rate, another hallmark of Tinubu’s economic reforms.

Obi, however, maintained that while he supports the subsidy removal in principle, the implementation lacked structure and adequate preparation. He argued that a better-planned approach would have minimized the hardship currently being experienced by Nigerians.

Bwala responded critically on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), stating that Obi’s comments reflect a shallow understanding of governance and economics. “He agreed with our policy of removal of subsidy and unification of the foreign exchange; he claimed he would have done it better than us in an ‘organized manner,’” Bwala wrote.

He continued, “He was asked what is the ‘organized manner.’ He played with words yet arrived at agreeing with us. Anybody with a rational mind knows these guys are just looking to grab power; but they don’t have any alternative agenda.”

Bwala also questioned the depth of Obi’s economic knowledge and mocked the tone of the interview, suggesting the anchor was sympathetic due to being aligned with the “Obidient” movement.