Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP) has called on Nigerians to use the 2027 general elections to vote out the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), warning that the Federal Government's plan to phase out electricity subsidies after the polls would plunge citizens into another round of economic hardship. In a statement issued on Saturday, August 1, 2026, by its South-West Zonal Organising Secretary, Comrade Wale Balogun, the party declared that the 2027 election must become a "democratic referendum on hardship, insecurity, unemployment, poverty, inflation and failed economic governance".
The SDP's warning came in response to recent media reports suggesting that the Tinubu administration intends to remove the remaining electricity subsidy after the 2027 general elections. The party said it was "deeply alarmed" by the reports and argued that such a policy direction, if implemented, would further worsen the country's cost-of-living crisis. "If these reports truly reflect the policy direction of the Federal Government, then Nigerians have once again been forewarned of another round of avoidable suffering," the statement read.
The party recalled that President Bola Tinubu had pledged during the 2023 election campaign to remove fuel subsidy, a promise he fulfilled immediately after assuming office on May 29, 2023, before also allowing the naira to float. While the government described the measures as necessary economic reforms, the SDP argued that they had instead "plunged millions of Nigerians into severe economic distress". "Today, the prices of food, transportation, electricity, healthcare, education, housing and other basic necessities have risen beyond the reach of ordinary citizens. Inflation has continued to erode incomes while salaries and wages remain stagnant," the statement said.
The SDP cited reports by the National Bureau of Statistics, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, claiming they acknowledge the hardship faced by Nigerians despite improvements in some macroeconomic indicators. According to the party, the figures translate into "hungry families, closed factories, shuttered businesses, abandoned farms, graduates without jobs, parents unable to pay school fees and hospitals increasingly beyond the financial reach of ordinary citizens". The party also criticised the state of Nigeria's electricity sector, arguing that consumers have not received the improved power supply promised after the introduction of the Band A-D electricity tariff regime. "Reliable electricity is the foundation of industrialisation, manufacturing, agriculture, technology, healthcare, education and national productivity. No nation has industrialised in darkness. No economy grows where businesses spend enormous resources producing their own electricity," it said.
The SDP warned that removing electricity subsidies without first guaranteeing stable and affordable electricity would amount to "transferring the consequences of policy failure onto ordinary Nigerians," describing such a move as "neither sound economics nor social justice". The party further accused the Tinubu administration of pursuing economic policies that prioritise market liberalisation over citizens' welfare.
The Federal Government had earlier on Friday, July 31, 2026, announced plans to phase out electricity subsidy payments from 2027 as part of efforts to address mounting debts in the power sector. Power Minister Joseph Tegbe disclosed the plan during a media interactive session, assuring Nigerians that the move would not lead to an immediate increase in electricity tariffs. The announcement aligns with recommendations by the International Monetary Fund for Nigeria to gradually remove electricity subsidies.
The SDP's call for Nigerians to vote out the APC comes amid growing political realignments ahead of the 2027 elections. The party has consistently positioned itself as a credible alternative to the ruling party, with its presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, vowing to unseat President Tinubu. Adebayo has previously accused the Tinubu administration of failing to properly manage the gains from fuel subsidy removal, alleging that trillions of naira saved had not translated into job creation or improved living conditions for citizens. He has also declared that he is not intimidated by the prospect of facing President Tinubu in the 2027 election.
The party's national chairman, Shehu Gabam, had earlier warned that the economic policies of President Tinubu may be his greatest undoing if he tries to be reelected in 2027, listing the removal of petrol subsidy, unification of forex rates, electricity tariff hike, and telecoms tariff hike as unpopular policies. The SDP has also ruled out alliances with other opposition parties, insisting on developing its own strategy to unseat the APC. As the 2027 elections draw closer, the SDP's warning against electricity subsidy removal and its call for a "democratic referendum on hardship" signal a campaign strategy focused on the economic pain of ordinary Nigerians—an issue that could define the political landscape in the lead-up to the polls.
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