2027 Politics Watch: From Asaba rally’s death to Obi’s subsidy challenge

Police reported one death and five injuries during an opposition procession in Asaba, while Tinubu and Atiku disputed university funding.

One person was killed and five others injured during an opposition procession in Asaba on Saturday, according to police, who said they had received a warning of possible violence. Organisers disputed aspects of the police account of security arrangements before the gathering.

Peter Obi also challenged Tinubu over subsidy savings and borrowing. Official financial records provide a basis for examining his claims, including the distinction between estimated additional federation revenue and the debt accumulated by successive administrations.

Tinubu received a pledge of electoral support from Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubara under a coalition coordinated by Nyesom Wike, whose allies were also involved in a separate PDP leadership dispute. In Bauchi, Seyi Makinde launched his presidential campaign with a programme containing specific fiscal, education, and security commitments.

The Delta State Police Command said the violence occurred at about 12.15 p.m. on Nnebisi Road during a procession organised by the Obidient/OK Movement, a group supporting Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso on the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) platform.

In a statement reported on Saturday, police spokesperson Bright Edafe said the command had received intelligence about possible violence and invited the organisers to a security meeting.

Police said they recommended holding the gathering at a designated venue where they could provide protection, rather than conducting an open-road procession. According to the command, the organisers proceeded despite that advice.

Delta State coordinator Favour Emerure disputed aspects of the police account. He said the organisers had notified the command and complied with instructions not to assemble at Inter-Bua Junction. He questioned why officers were absent when participants came under attack.

His account did not clarify whether the organisers had agreed to abandon the road procession altogether.

Reports from the scene described damaged campaign vehicles and attacks on participants.

NDC accused people associated with the All Progressives Congress (APC) of involvement. Delta APC spokesperson Valentine Onojeghuo rejected the allegation, saying no evidence linked his party to the violence.

Police said officers evacuated injured participants, reinforced security and opened an investigation. Their published account identified neither the victims nor those responsible.

The investigation must establish who carried out the attack and what protection was available after police received advance intelligence. Any Organisers’ failure to follow security advice would not, by itself, establish responsibility for the violence.

President Tinubu made his allegation during an APC campaign rally at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt.

The State House account records his assertion that Atiku used public funds to establish a private university while serving as vice-president between 1999 and 2007. It provided no financial documents supporting the accusation.

Atiku, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, rejected the allegation through Phrank Shaibu, director of strategic communication of his campaign council.

He said he began laying the foundation for ABTI Academy in 1993, six years before becoming vice-president, and linked that investment to the subsequent establishment of the American University of Nigeria (AUN).

The university’s official history dates the establishment of ABTI Academy, a private primary and secondary school, to 2002.

According to the institution, the later university project was licensed as ABTI University in 2003. Construction began in October 2004, and the first 124 students were admitted during the 2005–2006 academic period.

The university’s licensing and construction therefore occurred during Atiku’s vice-presidency. Its records do not exclude preparations beginning in 1993, but his published response provided no dated documents supporting that earlier account.

Neither the chronology nor the statements exchanged on Saturday establish the source of the university’s construction funds. President Tinubu’s allegation that public resources were used remains unsupported by the financial evidence made available in the exchange.

Atiku also referred to Mr Tinubu’s 1993 United States civil forfeiture case. The proceeding was not a criminal conviction, a distinction the presidency previously emphasised while responding to separate litigation concerning access to US investigative records.

The former vice-president also renewed his proposal for a production-based fuel subsidy linked to domestic refining, promising lower petrol and diesel prices.

In a September statement, the APC Presidential Campaign Council challenged him to explain its cost, legal basis, and funding arrangements, including how support to refiners would translate into lower prices for consumers.

The council questioned whether the proposed arrangement would comply with the Petroleum Industry Act, which provides for market-based petroleum pricing. Atiku’s Saturday response reiterated the proposal but did not address those specific questions.

The debate over fuel subsidy policy also featured in Peter Obi’s criticism of Mr Tinubu’s economic record, although the NDC presidential candidate approached it from a different direction.

Rather than proposing a new intervention in petroleum pricing, Obi challenged President Tinubu to explain what Nigerians had gained from ₦15.8 trillion in subsidy savings and more than $100 billion he claimed the administration had borrowed.

He demanded measurable improvements in poverty reduction, school attendance, primary healthcare, electricity supply and security, questioning how increased government revenue had affected living conditions.