African Democratic Congress presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has accused the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of preparing to reintroduce fuel subsidy through what he described as a “back door” ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Atiku made the allegation in a statement issued on Wednesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu. He claimed his team had received what it considered credible intelligence indicating that the government was considering an intervention to reduce the pressure of petrol prices on Nigerians.
The former vice president characterised the alleged move as evidence that the administration had entered what he called “full panic mode” as the next presidential election approaches.
According to Atiku, the government had spent years presenting fuel subsidy as economically unacceptable, only to potentially reconsider some form of intervention as the 2027 election draws closer.
He argued that such a policy shift would amount to electoral desperation rather than a genuine response to the hardship experienced by Nigerians.
Atiku accused the administration of following a strategy in which citizens endured rising costs for most of its tenure before the government would seek to provide limited relief when an election was approaching.
His criticism came as he welcomed a call by the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria for government intervention involving domestic refiners to bring down petrol prices.
Atiku said IPMAN’s position supported the underlying principle of his own proposal for making energy more affordable through domestic refining.
Atiku draws distinction between subsidies
According to the ADC presidential candidate, there is an important distinction between subsidising imported petroleum products and providing a production-linked intervention connected to crude oil processed domestically.
He argued that government support should be designed around increasing domestic refining capacity and lowering the price burden on consumers rather than returning to what he described as the previous import-subsidy system.
“IPMAN has come late to this conversation, but it has come to the right conclusion,” Atiku said.
He argued that the marketers were now recognising that government could not simply stand aside while high petrol prices continued to affect Nigerians and that a deliberate intervention around domestic refining could contribute to lower prices.
Atiku accused Tinubu and members of his administration of ridiculing the policy principle he had advocated.
He maintained that his proposal was fundamentally different from the subsidy arrangements associated with imported petrol.
To explain his position, Atiku compared the two approaches to agricultural production. He argued that a country producing crude oil should prioritise processing it domestically rather than selling the raw product and subsequently buying expensive refined fuel.
His central phrase was that “subsidy follows the barrel,” meaning that any intervention should be tied to domestically produced and refined crude rather than imported petroleum products.
Atiku described it as economically irrational for Nigeria to have crude oil resources but fail to maximise domestic processing capacity while citizens face increasingly expensive petrol.
Cost of petrol remains central to criticism
The ADC candidate also linked fuel prices to the wider cost-of-living pressures affecting ordinary Nigerians.
He argued that comparing Nigerian petrol prices with prices in wealthier countries without considering differences in income levels gives an incomplete picture of affordability.
According to Atiku, the effect of expensive petrol extends beyond what consumers pay directly at filling stations. He said higher fuel costs affect transportation, the movement of food and the purchasing power of households.
Using the example of a tomato seller, he argued that rising transportation costs can increase the price of getting produce to market while simultaneously reducing what customers can afford to spend.
Atiku said this demonstrates why energy affordability should be considered a broader economic issue rather than simply a question of the dollar value of petrol.
His comments followed IPMAN’s appeal for government action involving domestic refiners, which he said represented a policy direction that should now be taken seriously.
He urged the association to go beyond public commentary and work with his political camp on implementing what he described as a domestic-refining-centred energy policy if he wins the 2027 presidential election.
Atiku said petroleum marketers possess practical knowledge of the industry’s operational challenges, including areas where distortions and leakages occur and points where policies can be undermined between refineries and filling stations.
Atiku challenges Tinubu ahead of 2027
The former vice president also issued a direct political challenge to President Tinubu, presenting what he described as two possible options for the administration.
He called on Tinubu to acknowledge the criticism surrounding his approach to fuel affordability and withdraw from the 2027 presidential contest, or remain in the race and face voters.
Atiku argued that the issue should not be reduced to a personal contest between himself and the President but should instead be viewed through the effect of economic policies on Nigerians.
“This is not about Tinubu or Atiku. It is about Nigerians,” he said.
He accused the administration of taking decisions that had increased the financial burden on citizens and then seeking political support from those same citizens as another election approaches.
Atiku maintained that Nigerians would judge the government’s economic record through their everyday experience, particularly the cost of transportation, food and energy.
His criticism also centred on the contradiction he perceives between describing petrol subsidy as unacceptable and potentially adopting a form of intervention ahead of an election.
He said Nigerians should not be expected to forget the economic hardship they have experienced simply because an election is approaching.
The ADC candidate concluded by reaffirming his commitment to the affordability agenda he says would form part of his 2027 campaign.
“Tinubu may continue defending expensive petrol. We will continue building the coalition that will make Nigeria affordable again from 2027,” he said.
Atiku further declared that while the Tinubu administration had made Nigeria more expensive, his own administration would seek to make the country affordable again.
The remarks deepen the political argument over petrol pricing and the appropriate role of government intervention in Nigeria’s energy market as the country moves toward the 2027 election cycle.
While Atiku presented his allegations and policy proposals as an alternative to the Tinubu administration’s approach, his claims about a planned “backdoor” subsidy remain his political allegation based on the intelligence he said his team had received.
Atiku Accuses Tinubu Government of Plotting ‘Backdoor’ Fuel Subsidy Ahead of 2027
