Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has rejected a statement by one of his media aides on fuel subsidy, saying his position is to fully restore the policy if he wins the 2027 presidential election.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, made the clarification on Tuesday during a meeting with political stakeholders, hours after his media aide, Paul Ibe, gave a different position during a television interview.
Ibe had said Atiku would not bring back the previous fuel subsidy system if elected. He explained that any subsidy arrangement under an Atiku administration would only be temporary and would eventually be phased out.
He also said the proposed approach would involve using Nigeria’s crude oil resources to support local refining and help reduce the cost of petroleum products.
However, Atiku later rejected that explanation and made it clear that Ibe was not speaking with his authority.
The former vice president said his position remained that fuel subsidy should be restored if he becomes president in 2027.
Atiku argued that Nigeria has enough resources to support policies that can reduce the burden of high fuel prices on citizens.
He also blamed the removal of the subsidy for worsening the economic situation in the country, saying the policy had increased hardship and pushed more Nigerians into poverty.
The former vice president said the disagreement between his position and that of his aide should not create confusion about his plan, stressing that his own position on the matter remains unchanged.
The issue of fuel subsidy has become a major subject in the 2027 political debate, with presidential candidates presenting different plans on how Nigeria should manage the cost of petrol and protect citizens from rising living expenses.
President Bola Tinubu removed the petrol subsidy shortly after taking office in 2023, a decision that led to a sharp rise in fuel prices and increased pressure on households and businesses.
Atiku has continued to criticise the policy and is now presenting the restoration of fuel subsidy as part of his proposed response to the economic difficulties facing Nigerians.
His latest clarification also sets his position apart from the earlier explanation given by his media aide, who had suggested that any subsidy would only serve as a temporary measure before being phased out.