African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate Rotimi Amaechi has urged Nigerians, particularly residents of Edo State, to reject President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 election, using inflammatory language to criticise those who support the president.
Amaechi made the remarks during a town hall meeting in Edo State on Thursday, where he called on residents to back the opposition party in the forthcoming election.
“They are going about saying ‘Vote Tinubu! Vote Tinubu!’ Only thieves can vote for Tinubu. In fact, I read a comment on social media where someone said, ‘It’s in 2027 that we will know how many mad men we have in Nigeria.”
“Because it’s only a mad people that can vote for Tinubu. If Edo people vote for President Tinubu, that means Edo people are mad. If you’re not mad, Tinubu should not win here,” he said.
The former Minister of Transportation also accused the Tinubu administration of prioritising projects for alleged financial gains rather than addressing Nigerians’ broader economic needs.
He questioned the planned development of another seaport in Ogun State, asking whether the volume of goods produced in the state justified additional port infrastructure.
“So, Tinubu just hates you. No, I’m not joking. If Tinubu does not hate you, why is he building another seaport? In Ogun, what are the goods we are producing? What goods are we producing to have as many as that number of seaports? It is not because he likes Ogun people. It is the money he will make out of the construction.”
Amaechi also urged opposition supporters to participate in the electoral process rather than stay away and expect a change in government.
“If you want Tinubu to go, please go home. Go home. Go home,” he said.
On fuel subsidy, Amaechi proposed a production-based model that would give domestic refineries access to crude oil at prices lower than international market rates, with the aim of reducing petrol prices and the cost of living.
He said the proposed arrangement would differ from the previous subsidy system, which he argued allowed wealthy individuals to benefit disproportionately.
“When we bring back subsidy, it’s not that one that will produce rich men. That subsidy where rich men will go to Ghana and come back to say, ‘We have bough fuel for you’. We are bringing back a subsidy called Production subsidy. If you don’t have a refinery in Nigeria, you will not get subsidy. We don’t have to pay for it. Government will not pay for the subsidy. All the government needs to do is to make a policy.
“The price at which I sell crude on the international market and price with which I sell crude in the Nigerian market will be different. I will do domestic pricing. If I sell crude at N15,000 on the international market, in Nigeria, I will sell to Dangote at N10,000. And here we have four modular refineries. The difference will be N5,000. I will then sit with Dangote and the modular refiners and tell them to give me a subsidy of N5,000. Once that happens, the price of fuel will come down. When the price of fuel comes down, the price of everything will go down.”
