Peter Obi, the 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has challenged President Bola Tinubu to account for an estimated ₦15.8 trillion reportedly saved from the removal of the petrol subsidy, alongside more than $100 billion in borrowings and increased government revenues.

Obi made the demand in an open letter titled "Good Day, Mr President: Nigerians Deserve Accountability", posted on his X handle on Saturday, 7 November 2026. The message followed Tinubu's recent visit to Akwa Ibom State.

Congratulating the president on spending a night in a Nigerian state outside Lagos and Abuja, Obi said he hoped the visit would encourage him to travel to the remaining 33 states of the federation, spend time with citizens and explain what his administration had done with the resources available to it since assuming office in May 2023.

"I sincerely hope this visit will inspire you to travel to the remaining 33 states of the federation, spend time with the people and, more importantly, explain what your administration has done with the ₦15.8 trillion saved from the removal of fuel subsidy, the over $100 billion you have borrowed, the increased revenues accruing to the government from taxing Nigerians, and the additional government revenues which your administration celebrated last year as having surpassed its target," Obi wrote.

He also alleged that Tinubu had spent more than 260 days outside Nigeria since coming into office, and asked for evidence that the resources available to the government had translated into improvements in the daily lives of Nigerians.

Obi demanded figures showing how many Nigerians had been lifted out of poverty, how many out-of-school children had been returned to classrooms, and how many functional primary healthcare centres the administration had built.

On electricity, he questioned how much the power supply had improved, recalling Tinubu's earlier promise that Nigerians should not vote for him if he failed to fix the country's electricity challenges. He also called for an explanation of the administration's efforts to address insecurity, arguing that Nigeria continued to face serious terrorism and security threats.

"Nigerians deserve answers. They deserve to know what has been done with the resources entrusted to your government," Obi said, adding that accountability, transparency and measurable improvements in citizens' welfare should form the foundation of the country he hopes to build.

The NDC backed Obi's challenge in a separate statement issued by its National Presidential Campaign Council spokesperson, Dr Chiogo Constance Ikokwu. The party accused the Tinubu administration of eroding Nigeria's commonwealth through excessive borrowing, poor fiscal management and inadequate investment in critical public services, and said the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket would reverse the trend if elected in 2027. Obi's running mate is Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

The Federal Ministry of Finance had earlier given its own account of the subsidy savings. In an August 2026 briefing on the government's economic reforms, the ministry said the estimated ₦15.8 trillion was distributed across the three tiers of government, with the federal government receiving about ₦5.43 trillion, states about ₦6.52 trillion and local governments about ₦3.88 trillion.

The ministry also said the federal government's additional resources included ₦3.12 trillion in other incremental revenues and ₦11.85 trillion in incremental borrowing, bringing the total to about ₦20.4 trillion, while additional expenditure pressures during the period amounted to about ₦30.64 trillion, covering wage adjustments, external debt servicing, infrastructure, electricity support and other obligations.

Tinubu announced the end of the petrol subsidy in his inauguration speech on 29 May 2023. His administration has maintained that the savings are being used to fund infrastructure, revenue transfers to sub-national governments and social programmes. The borrowing figure cited by Obi is his own assessment and has not been independently verified as a standalone debt figure; the Debt Management Office reported Nigeria's total public debt at about ₦152.40 trillion as of June 2025. The presidency had not responded publicly to Obi's specific questions at the time of reporting.