2027: Presidency Faults Atiku’s Subsidy Plan

The Presidency has accused former Vice-President and 2027 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, of lacking clarity over his proposal to restore petrol subsidy, describing the conflicting explanations from his camp as politically motivated.

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, made the accusation in a statement on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, following renewed debate over Atiku’s promise to introduce a “targeted subsidy” if elected president.

Atiku had earlier reaffirmed that he would restore subsidy, while stressing that his proposal would focus on domestic production rather than revive the old petrol-import subsidy system. 

However, Onanuga argued that statements from Atiku and his aides over the past week had produced different versions of the proposed policy. 

According to the Presidency, one aide, Paul Ibe, initially said the subsidy would be restored temporarily and later phased out, while another aide, Phrank Shaibu, rejected that explanation and said the intervention would instead depend on the expansion of domestic refining, improved supply and stronger competition.

Atiku subsequently stepped in to reaffirm that his position had not changed.

Onanuga said the conflicting explanations raised questions about the feasibility of the proposal, asking Atiku to provide details on its cost, beneficiaries, funding source and the conditions that would determine when the intervention would end.

“This is not merely a matter of semantics. It is a serious policy contradiction,” Onanuga said, according to Punch. 

The Presidency also challenged Atiku’s argument that reducing petrol prices through subsidy would significantly ease the cost-of-living crisis. 

It maintained that food inflation is influenced by several factors, including exchange rates, insecurity, logistics, storage, agricultural input costs and supply constraints, rather than petrol prices alone. 

The renewed dispute follows Atiku’s August 19 declaration that he would restore petrol subsidy if elected in 2027. The former vice-president has defended the proposal as a way of reducing energy costs and restoring Nigerians’ purchasing power. 

The Presidency, however, wants Atiku to go beyond the political promise and provide a clear financial framework for the proposed subsidy, arguing that Nigerians deserve to know how much the policy would cost and how it would be sustained.

The controversy has now placed petrol subsidy once again at the centre of the emerging 2027 presidential debate, with both sides offering sharply different approaches to tackling the economic hardship facing Nigerians.