APC Didn’t Destabilize Opposition, Pi-CNG Boss

The Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (Pi-CNG), Ismaeel Ahmed, has dismissed claims that the ruling party is deliberately weakening opposition parties, insisting that Nigeria’s political system allows for healthy competition.

Speaking on Politics Today on Channels Television, Ahmed said opposition parties were responsible for their own internal challenges.
According to him, no political party can single-handedly destabilize others in a constitutional democracy.

“We run a constitutional democracy governed by laws under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. No political party or leader can make themselves the sole candidate or destabilize the entire political system,” he said.

Ahmed argued that the opposition lacked the resilience demonstrated by Bola Ahmed Tinubu during his years in opposition politics.

He noted that Tinubu remained politically relevant despite setbacks, building alliances that eventually led to the formation of the ruling All Progressives Congress.

“The question is why the opposition does not have the mettle to stay on the ground the way President Tinubu did when he was in opposition,” Ahmed said.

While he said the ruling party would prefer a strong opposition, he maintained that it could not help rival parties organize themselves.
“We would want a virile opposition, but we can’t help them if they keep capitulating,” he said.

Responding to concerns about governors defecting to the ruling party, Ahmed denied allegations of coercion, saying such decisions were voluntary.

“Why would a governor who was elected by his people and enjoys constitutional immunity be coerced? Political parties are about numbers. When people come to us, we welcome them,” he stated.

He added that defections were not unusual in Nigerian politics, recalling that the APC itself benefited from defections in 2013 when several governors left the then-ruling People’s Democratic Party to join the opposition coalition.

Ahmed also spoke about the government’s push to expand the use of compressed natural gas as an alternative fuel.

According to him, Nigeria had made rapid progress since the initiative began.

“Before 2023, fewer than 7,000 vehicles were using CNG and there were less than 10 stations nationwide. Today, we have about 120,000 vehicles already converted and more than 60 refuelling stations operational,” he said.

He added that the government plans to roll out 100,000 conversion kits in the coming weeks to accelerate adoption.

Ahmed said CNG could reduce fuel costs significantly.

“Natural gas is about 40 to 60 percent cheaper than petrol and Nigeria has about 200 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves,” he said.

Addressing concerns about economic hardship following government reforms, Ahmed acknowledged that the policies were difficult but necessary.

He said the reforms introduced by the administration were designed to stabilize the country’s economy.

“The president understands these reforms are painful in the short term, but they are necessary for the survival of the country,” he said.

According to him, the reforms had prevented Nigeria from sliding into a deeper economic crisis.

“To save the people in the country, you first have to save the country,” he said.

Ahmed added that the government was working to reduce transportation costs through alternative energy sources such as CNG and electric vehicles.