Top Presidential Candidate Vows to Bring Back Fuel Subsidy If Elected in 2027
The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), 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.
What Atiku Is Proposing
Atiku’s camp says he is not proposing the old subsidy system. Under his plan, the subsidy would be:
– Transparent and production-based
– Tied to local refining of fuel
– Capped, audited and published in the national budget
“By the grace of the Almighty and with the mandate of the Nigerian people, I will restore a transparent, production-based subsidy tied to the local refining of fuel. Nigerians will benefit directly through lower energy costs, including the prices of petrol and diesel,” he said. e26c
Campaign Promises So Far
Atiku had earlier made the same pledge at the ADC presidential campaign flag-off in Sokoto on November 4, where he pledged to restore fuel subsidy, reopen the country’s land borders for legitimate trade and tackle insecurity if elected. He said:
“I will open all the land borders for our people to do legitimate business with our brothers across the border. We will restore subsidy back into our fuel and do everything humanly possible to bring an end to insecurity so as to ensure our people can go back to our farms.”
He also promised to reduce pilgrimage fares for Muslim and Christian faithful, and to expand social welfare programmes.
Background
Atiku’s latest statement comes amid the debate over the removal of petrol subsidy by President Bola Tinubu’s administration in May 2023.
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.
The 2027 presidential election is scheduled for January 16, with INEC fixing February 6 for governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections.
