“Tinubu Removed Subsidy Without Thinking About Next Election” – Gbajabiamila

Chief of Staff to the President and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has described President Bola Tinubu’s removal of fuel subsidy as a decision driven by national interest rather than electoral considerations.

Speaking at the 2025 Southern Summit of Former Legislators held in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Gbajabiamila said Tinubu demonstrated “extraordinary statesmanship” by taking on difficult reforms without thinking about the next election.

The summit, themed *“National Unity: Bedrock of Nation Building,”* drew prominent political figures including former Senate President Ken Nnamani, former House Speakers Yakubu Dogara and Patricia Olubunmi Etteh, APC National Secretary Dr. Ajibola Bashiru, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, and Ogun State House of Assembly Speaker Oludaisi Elemide.

Gbajabiamila, who convened the summit, highlighted key policies of the Tinubu administration such as fuel subsidy removal, tax reforms, and the establishment of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which guarantees tertiary education for all Nigerian students. He said: “These are not the actions of a politician thinking about the next election. They are acts of extraordinary statesmanship by a leader whose highest concern is the fortune of the Nigerian people and the fate of the next generation.”

He acknowledged the temporary hardships Nigerians face as a result of the reforms but urged patience, noting that “fixing what has long been broken imposes costs, entails sacrifice and takes time.”

Former Speaker Yakubu Dogara also addressed the gathering, warning Nigerians against “pretenders” he described as being driven by vengeance and distraction. He urged collective efforts to strengthen national unity.

In a show of political solidarity, the Northern Caucus of the forum, led by Rufai Chanchagi, pledged to support the South in completing an eight-year tenure in the presidency. Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun reinforced this stance, declaring that Tinubu and the South must be allowed to complete two terms.

At the end of the summit, the forum issued a communique adopting President Tinubu as the sole candidate of the South for the 2027 presidential election. The communique, read by former lawmaker Samson Osagie, stated: “We affirm that it is the turn of the South to complete its tenure. It is in the best interest of the South and the nation that the incumbent, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, completes this tenure. Accordingly, we adopt him as the sole candidate of the South.”

The forum further pledged to support the North in 2031 to take its turn in the spirit of fairness and equity.