‘Forward Ever, Backward Never’ – Showunmi Rejects Atiku’s Petrol Subsidy Plan

The Chief Promoter of the Alternative Movement, Otunba Segun Showunmi, has kicked against former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s plan to bring back petrol subsidy if elected president in 2027.

Showunmi, Chief Promoter of the Alternative Movement, said returning to subsidy would amount to taking Nigeria ‘back to Egypt’.

He spoke on Saturday in Abeokuta, Ogun State, while addressing supporters during a sensitization and mobilization programme organized in support of President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid, Naija News reports.

Atiku, who is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), had said he would restore petrol subsidy if elected in 2027.

The former vice-president argued that Nigerians should benefit from the country’s resources and that the removal of subsidy had made life more difficult for citizens.

But Showunmi dismissed the proposal, saying Nigeria had spent decades operating a subsidy regime without achieving the desired result.

“We have tried subsidies in this country. We started starting it from 1973. And between 1973 and date, we have seen the result. If it had worked, wouldn’t we have seen it?” Showunmi asked.

“We have seen that nothing has worked. They couldn’t even repair a refinery for so many years. And one private sector person has run a refinery.”

He described those pushing for the return of subsidy as “overtly and inordinately ambitious”, insisting that Nigeria would not go back to what he called Egypt.

“Forward ever, backward never,” he said.

Showunmi Defends Tinubu

Showunmi said he had spent the last year defending the economic policies of the Tinubu administration.

“If you have been following me, and I know you have, for the past one year, I have been screaming and shouting that the economic direction, the policy ideas, and the things that the President Bola Tinubu is doing, is the right direction for the country,” he said.

He also said government revenues had improved across the three tiers of government.

“Now you have gotten to the point where there’s money in the local government, there’s money in the state, there’s money in the federal,” he said.

The politician also called for continuity in government, saying economic policies needed time to produce results.

“We cannot be changing leadership every four years. Democracy is very difficult, and the ability to be able to even run policy requires a bit of time,” he said.

Showunmi said he had already started mobilizing supporters at the grassroots ahead of the 2027 election, including at the polling-unit level.

“I’ve empowered them, I’ve told them to enter the polling unit and start the polling unit work,” he said.

He added that the mobilization would later move to the six local government areas in Ogun Central.

“Thereafter, I’m going to go to each of the six local governments in Ogun Central.

“We are not social media politicians. We are not television politicians. I am a grassroots politician through and through,” he said.

Speaking about politicians in the South who are positioning themselves against Tinubu ahead of 2027, Showunmi said he was not worried.

“You will never see the moon and the star come out when the sun is out.

“Anybody, especially from Yoruba nation, who is calling himself anything, when the sun is out, is wasting the time,” he said.

He also said politicians seeking to challenge Tinubu were wasting their resources.

“Anyone who says he is going to be running up and down television, deceiving himself, wasting the little resources he has, claiming that he can win presidency here, he is a joker,” he said.

“This election is Bola Tinubu’s election to win.”

Showunmi appealed to Yoruba voters to support Tinubu, warning against a situation where the North would produce more votes for the president than the South-West.

“I have come home to beg the Yoruba people that you will not be ashamed,” he said.

“Because when the election is over, and the people of North-East, and the people of North-West, and the people of North-Central produce more votes than you, then where will you put your face? Therefore, it is time to work now. We are back to 2003.”