Nigerians may regret it, if Tinubu loses in 2027 – Obidike

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Hon. Obidike Chukwuebuka, has said Nigerians cannot afford to lose President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, arguing that continuity is necessary to consolidate the economic and institutional reforms introduced by his administration.

Speaking in an interview with our correspondent, Obidike, who is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Clarivo Holdings Limited, said President Tinubu inherited a difficult economy in May 2023 but had taken what he described as “bold and painful decisions” to address longstanding structural problems.

He cited the removal of petrol subsidy, foreign exchange reforms, increased revenue mobilisation, student loans, infrastructure development, local government financial autonomy, healthcare reforms and interventions in the oil and gas sector among the major developments recorded under the administration.

According to him, the administration should not be assessed only by the immediate hardship experienced by Nigerians, but also by the structural changes being introduced into the economy.

Obidike said the economy was one of the strongest arguments for Tinubu’s continuity, noting that the decision to remove petrol subsidy in May 2023 ended a subsidy regime that consumed trillions of naira in public resources.

He added that the reform, together with the foreign exchange reforms introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, had improved the country’s fiscal position.

Speaking further, Obidike pointed to the substantial increase in revenue available for distribution to the federal, state and local governments through the Federation Account.

According to him, the increase in Federation Account Allocation Committee, FAAC, disbursements had significantly expanded the fiscal space available to state and local governments, enabling many of them to meet salary, pension, infrastructure and other obligations.

The APC chieftain also identified the Nigeria Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, as one of the administration’s significant social interventions.

He said, for the first time, Nigerian students whose parents could not afford university charges could access a structured, government-backed education loan.

He also noted that the university system had avoided the prolonged nationwide disruptions associated with previous Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, strikes during the current administration.

On infrastructure, Obidike, who is also Chairman of Bidiks Nigeria Limited, cited the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Road, Enugu-Onitsha Expressway and the 9th Mile-Oturkpo-Makurdi Road, linking Enugu through Benue, among federal road projects he said were ongoing.

He also mentioned the Kano-Daura-Kongolam Road, extending through Kano, Jigawa and Katsina towards the Niger Republic border, and the Calabar-Abuja Trans-Sahara Superhighway, which is expected to connect Cross River, Ebonyi, Benue, Nasarawa and the Federal Capital Territory.

On other achievements, Obidike, who is also Chief Executive Officer of Clarivo Oil and Gas, described local government autonomy as another important development under the Tinubu administration.

He referenced the Supreme Court’s July 2024 judgment affirming the constitutional right of local governments to receive their allocations directly from the Federation Account.

He maintained that the strengthening of local government autonomy, fiscal reforms and other institutional measures were sufficient reasons to return Tinubu to power in 2027.

Obidike said the central issue ahead of the 2027 election should be whether Nigerians wanted continuity in the reform process or another change of direction.

According to him, some of the benefits of the current reforms may take years to become fully visible because they involve restructuring institutions, changing fiscal arrangements and attracting long-term investment.

While urging Nigerians to re-elect Tinubu, Obidike said he believed the country could not afford to lose the president at this stage.

For him, Nigeria needs continuity, stability and consolidation, adding that it would be a “fatal mistake” if Tinubu was not re-elected in 2027.

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