Issues of fuel subsidy, state police and elections dominated discussions at the 66th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Monday, leading to a clash amongst presidential candidates in the 2027 general elections.
File: NDC presidential candidate, Peter Obi
Presidential candidates-Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Omoyele Sowore of African Action Congress, Donald Duke of People’s Redemption Party and Adewale Adebayo of Social Democratic Party- alongside the vice presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Rotimi Amaechi, disagreed over the best approach to tackling insecurity, poverty, policing, fuel subsidy and other national challenges.
The candidates, who participated in a presidential debate at the conference themed, “Beyond Limits: Redefining the Practice of Law,” outlined contrasting positions on security, economic management, policing, fuel subsidy and the performance of previous governments.
This is as the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, defended the Federal Government reforms, including state police.
The debate formed part of activities at the NBA’s 66th Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt and provided a platform for the presidential candidates to present their positions ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Obi said Nigeria’s insecurity could not be tackled without addressing poverty, unemployment, corruption and weaknesses in the country’s security architecture.
The former Anambra State governor called for a comprehensive overhaul of Nigeria’s security strategy, advocating what he described as a “human security” approach.
He said, “You need to do a comprehensive overhaul or study of our strategy to a security problem today.
You need to audit the architecture that is driving that strategy and look at security from a human security perspective.”
According to Obi, reducing poverty and joblessness would help reduce criminality, while corruption and the diversion of public resources must also be confronted.
“The more you pull people out of poverty, the more you reduce insecurity. It is a known fact everywhere,” he said.
He also called for better coordination among security agencies, improved staffing and welfare for personnel, as well as support for local vigilantes and communities.
Obi identified intelligence gathering as one of the major weaknesses in Nigeria’s security system.
“As it were, the intelligence aspect of our security is very, very weak,” he said.
He further argued that Nigeria needed to move from a consumption-based economy to a production-driven one, particularly through investment in agriculture, to create jobs and reduce poverty.
“Nigeria is not a poor country. Nigeria is poor because those of us who are leaders are stealing the wealth of Nigeria and driving Nigeria into poverty,” he said.
On fuel subsidy, Sowore took a different position, vowing not to remove it if elected.
He argued that the removal of petrol subsidy had benefited political elites and governors rather than ordinary Nigerians.
“The question about subsidy is, who are you subsidising? You are subsidising the elites. You are subsidising the governors,” Sowore said.
He accused successive administrations of repeatedly removing subsidy while promising Nigerians that the economy would improve.
“I will not remove subsidy because the poor in Nigeria need to be subsidised instead of the rich,” he said.
Sowore also criticised the records of former political officeholders, including Amaechi and Obi, challenging them to account for their performance while in government.
He accused Amaechi of failing to deliver meaningful infrastructure during his tenure as Rivers governor and criticised Obi’s administration in Anambra over alleged prolonged strikes by lecturers and doctors.
“You may like him as a person, but he did not perform as a governor. That is the truth,” Sowore said of Obi.
On insecurity, Sowore proposed a three-stage strategy beginning with what he described as stopping the “bleeding” through improved funding, equipment and welfare for security agencies.
He advocated an internationally standardised security system and said he would deploy technology, including drones, to strengthen national security.
Sowore also proposed a N500,000 minimum wage, arguing that security personnel and other workers should be adequately remunerated.
He said the second stage of his security plan would involve effective enforcement of laws and prosecution of those responsible for insecurity.
The AAC candidate linked insecurity to inequality, arguing that some young Nigerians were turning to kidnapping because of the prospect of making quick money.
He pledged free education, one million public homes, job creation and a transition from a fossil-fuel-dependent economy to a green economy.
Sowore further described terrorism in Nigeria as an “industry” and an “industrial complex,” arguing that insecurity could not be effectively tackled without addressing the alleged involvement of influential political figures.
Amaechi countered that tackling economic hardship and strengthening intelligence gathering were central to reducing insecurity.
He said any government seeking to tackle crime must create an economy that puts money in the pockets of Nigerians.
“If today lawyers can’t pay their salaries, if you’re not careful, some lawyers will become criminals because crime pays,” Amaechi said.
The former Minister of Transportation said the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari had strengthened regional intelligence cooperation by working with neighbouring countries, including Chad and the Benin Republic, to identify criminals.
Amaechi also drew from his experience as governor, saying security intelligence had enabled him to know the movements and activities of people within Rivers State.
“When I was governor, I knew where everybody was. I knew who was doing what. I knew who entered a hotel and came out of a hotel, and where he went to. And that information was passed to me every day. And I knew what to do,” he said.
He said that as Rivers State governor, he built over 500 primary schools, over 300 centres, over 200 roads and crimes were drastically reduced, hinting that he fought insecurity to a standstill with adequate intelligence gathering as a sitting governor.
Amaechi hinted that he would support community police over state police, because community policing will primarily detect real issues, pointing out that the Atiku-Amaechi ticket, when elected, will ensure political appointments are evenly spread across the country.
Amaechi defended his record in government after Sowore criticised his performance as governor and minister.
Pointing to the Lagos-Ibadan and Abuja-Kaduna railway projects, he asked Nigerians to assess political candidates based on their records.
Speaking on a coalition for a single opposition presidential candidate to emerge, Amaechi said, “A coalition should be based on performance. And I say to you we should do a referendum. We have all served in government. Atiku has served in government, Peter Obi has served in government, I have served in government.
“All others have, apart from him and this (pointing at Sowore and Adebanjo). Assess us by our last performance and choose.
“Don’t just go because you are from Ikwerre or you’re from Omoku (both local government areas in Rivers State) and choose your …, No, that’s why we are running down.
“Coalition should be based on performance,” Amaechi said.
He subsequently challenged Sowore to show what he had achieved in public office.
“Sowore, I said I built that road. I built this road. I built this primary school. I built that primary school. Sowore, what is your experience?” he asked.
Sowore then took a swipe at Amaechi, saying the latter built a rail line in Port Harcourt that leads to nowhere, saying he has no business seeking power when he failed,
“Please don’t let these politicians lie to you. I love one thing that Amaechi said: apart from Sowore and Adebayo, the rest of us have been in government and we have failed. They have no business coming back. Yes. You guys should be apologising to the Nigerian people.”
On his part, Duke faulted the Federal Government’s position on fuel subsidy, arguing that Nigeria did not have a genuine subsidy regime.
Duke said the country could not remove a subsidy that, in his view, did not exist.
“You can’t remove what doesn’t exist. I postulate there is nothing like fuel subsidy,” he said.
The former Cross River State governor argued that Nigeria should take advantage of its crude oil resources to make petroleum products affordable and boost productivity.
He explained that crude oil produced several petroleum products, including Premium Motor Spirit, diesel and aviation fuel, stressing that the country should not compare the cost of petroleum products produced from its own natural resources with prices in countries that import their raw materials.
Duke also questioned the transparency of crude-for-product swap arrangements previously used by the country.
“When we were doing swaps, we said about 300,000 barrels of oil in exchange for petrol; no one ever mentioned the by-products. No one knows what went to. That’s why I believe it’s the biggest scam that has been perpetrated in this country. I don’t believe there’s a subsidy,” he said.
He illustrated his argument with the example of a farmer who produces 10 tonnes of maize annually but consumes one tonne to feed his family and workers.
“If you are a farmer, you produce 10 tonnes of maize annually, and you consume one to keep your workers going, to keep your family going, are you subsidising your family?” he asked.
Duke maintained that energy was central to economic productivity and should therefore be made readily available to Nigerians.
“For me, the overall essence of government is productivity of its people. So if that is the vision or the mission statement of government, all the factors that have to do with productivity must be made abundantly available,” he said.
He also rejected the argument that cheap petrol would encourage smuggling into neighbouring countries, asking whether Nigerians should be made to pay higher prices because of the government’s inability to police the borders.
“Are you going to punish your citizens due to your inability to police your borders?” Duke asked.
He suggested that petrol could be dyed a distinctive colour and traced to prevent its movement across the borders.
Duke described what he termed the country’s approach to administration as “mental laziness,” arguing that energy remained a critical driver of national development.
Meanwhile, Adebayo advocated decentralised policing, arguing that Nigeria’s federal structure should allow the Federal Government, states and local governments to establish their own police forces.
Adebayo said the issue should be viewed as a constitutional and federalism question rather than a political slogan.
“It is a principle of law that the sovereignty of Nigeria is divided between federal, state and local. The legislative power includes the power, or should include the power, to police,” he said.
He argued that any level of government with the power to make laws should also have the capacity to establish a police force to enforce those laws.
“If I can make laws, I should be able to create police to enforce my law. No level of government should depend on another level to enforce its own law,” Adebayo said.
When asked directly whether he supported state police, he said he favoured policing at all levels.
“I support police at every level of government. Federal, its own police. State, its own police. Local government, its own police. Because that is how it should be in federalism,” he said.
Adebayo described decentralised policing as an inherent right of the different levels of government, rather than a concession from the Federal Government.
He also blamed the centralised policing structure on military rule, alleging that military decrees abolished earlier policing arrangements and produced a constitution that was not sufficiently federalist.
Asked about the current proposal for state police, Adebayo described it as “a trick” by President Bola Tinubu.
In a keynote address titled “Policing in Transition,” Gbajabiamila spoke extensively on the administration’s reforms, why they matter, and the standards by which the administration’s work should be judged.
He said Tinubu had decided to confront a truth the country had ignored for too long by proceeding with the establishment of state police.
“Centralised policing without safeguards will bring about more chaos,” he said, adding that the reform introduced a dual policing system designed to correct existing imbalances.
“Nigerians must receive equal protection in every state, regardless of ethnicity, religion, or others,” he added.
Gbajabiamila stressed the importance of first agreeing on the specific problems the reforms are meant to solve. “It’s important that we agree on the specific nature of the problems we’re trying to solve with these reforms,” he said, citing the problem of police reach as a key example.
“Nigeria has one policeman for every 650 people, compared to the international benchmark of one policeman to every 450,” he noted, adding that the disparity becomes even more concerning “when you take note that most policemen are deployed for administrative and escort duties.”
Gbajabiamila stressed the need for proper training to prepare officers to enforce the law effectively.
“Training must prepare officers to enforce the law properly; professionalism is also very important,” he said, adding that “policing should become a respected career that every Nigerian chooses.”
Addressing the question of oversight, he asked: “Who polices the police?” He argued that “a governor elected by the people cannot be denied the right to carry out executive duties,” but stressed that “a governor shouldn’t be allowed to order the arrest of a political opponent.”
He added that “an officer who refuses an unlawful command must be protected as well,” insisting that “these protections mustn’t be just by word of mouth, but by strengthened institutions.”
Gbajabiamila further addressed concerns around the potential for partisan misuse of police powers under the proposed reforms.
Source: punchng.com
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