I’ll restore subsidy to ease hardship, Atiku insists

File photo: Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar

The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, has reiterated his pledge to restore petrol subsidy if elected president in 2027, saying the policy would make life easier and more affordable for Nigerians.

Atiku restated his position in a post on X on Monday, accompanying a campaign video explaining his proposed approach to petrol subsidy.

“My position stands! I will restore subsidy to make life easier and more affordable for Nigerians,” the former Vice-President wrote.

In the video, a female narrator said petrol was selling for more than ₦1,300 per litre in Nigeria and argued that citizens of other crude oil-producing countries, including Libya, Iran, Venezuela, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, enjoyed cheaper fuel.

The narrator said Atiku’s proposed intervention would be limited to supporting petrol produced by local refineries rather than imported products.

The video also quoted Atiku as saying, “My position has not changed and will not change. I will restore it.”

It added that the proposed arrangement would support domestic refining until the industry could operate without government assistance.

Atiku’s latest statement comes amid the debate over the removal of petrol subsidy by President Bola Tinubu’s administration in May 2023.

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Tinubu announced the policy during his inauguration, saying the government could no longer sustain the rising cost of subsidy and would redirect the savings to infrastructure, education, healthcare and job creation.

Atiku has repeatedly criticised the impact of the policy and made its restoration part of his 2027 campaign promises.

At the ADC presidential campaign flag-off in Sokoto on November 4, he pledged to restore fuel subsidy, reopen the country’s land borders for legitimate trade and tackle insecurity if elected.

The 2027 presidential election is scheduled for January 16, with the Independent National Electoral Commission fixing February 6 for governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections.

Atiku secured the ADC presidential ticket in May for his seventh bid for the presidency.

However, a Federal High Court in Abuja on November 5 nullified his nomination alongside decisions taken by the party’s David Mark-led leadership.

The ADC has appealed the judgment and applied for a stay of execution.