APM demands Okpebholo’s resignation over fuel-price comparison

The Allied Peoples Movement has demanded the resignation of Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo after he compared petrol prices in Nigeria with those in the United Kingdom. In a statement issued on Sunday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Abubakar Yusuf, criticised the governor’s comments and condemned the Nigerian pump price of more than N1,500 per litre. Okpebholo made the comparison on September 24 at an event titled “Operation Rescue Benin-Asaba Road”.

He said petrol sold for about N3,000 per litre in the UK after conversion to naira, compared with the lower price in Nigeria, and said the country was doing well despite its difficulties. The APM said the comparison was inappropriate because it did not account for differences in income, purchasing power and public transport systems. The party cited a monthly British wage of about £2,636, which it said was equivalent to N4.6 million, compared with Nigeria’s N70,000 minimum wage.

It also contrasted the income of teachers in the two countries, saying a Nigerian teacher earned about N70,000 or less monthly while a UK teacher’s starting salary was approximately £2,839. The party said Nigeria’s largely informal and expensive transport system also differed from the structured and regulated system in the UK. Yusuf said the rising fuel price was increasing the burden on Nigerians, who were expecting a reduction.

He also cited Libya and Iran, where the party said petrol cost the equivalent of about N41 to N52 per litre, as examples of oil-producing countries with lower prices. The APM warned that the governor’s remarks could provoke widespread protest and unrest. It also said the 2027 presidential election would provide voters an opportunity to choose what it described as more humane and efficient leadership, promoting its candidate, Seyi Makinde.