Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has said state governors, rather than President Bola Tinubu, should account for how the gains from the removal of petrol subsidy are being spent.
Abiodun spoke on Thursday at an All Progressives Congress rally held at the Dipo Dina International Stadium in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.
The governor said the removal of the subsidy had increased allocations to states, making governors better positioned to explain how the additional funds were being utilised.
“They said they want to return the subsidy. Are they mad? They were asking our leader to explain what he did with subsidy removal gains,” he said in Yoruba.
“It is we (governors) that should make such explanations because it is we, state governors, that collect the money.
“Besides, what have we been using to build roads, schools, provide good housing and incentives for farmers? Isn’t it from subsidy?”
Abiodun also dismissed the chances of opposition parties in the 2027 general elections, boasting that the APC would defeat its rivals.
“Go and tell your people that all of them are not up to one. We will defeat them mercilessly,” he said.
The governor’s comments come amid renewed debate over the utilisation of funds saved from the removal of petrol subsidy.
Opposition politicians, including former Vice-President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, have criticised the Tinubu administration over its handling of the savings and vowed to restore the subsidy if elected in 2027.
Tinubu has rejected the proposal, describing it as evidence of “serious ignorance of governance and economy”, while arguing that some states struggled to pay salaries and pensions before his administration assumed office.
The Federal Government has previously said the removal of the subsidy has significantly increased revenues available to the three tiers of government.
On August 19, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, said the subsidy removal had generated N15.8 trillion for the federation between June 2023 and December 2025.
