Atiku Vows To Restore Petrol Subsidy If Elected President In 2027

Atiku Vows to Restore Petrol Subsidy If Elected President in 2027

Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress ADC, Atiku Abubakar, has promised to restore Nigeria’s petrol subsidy if elected president in the 2027 general election. Atiku made the pledge during a televised interview on Wednesday, arguing that Nigerians have endured significant hardship since the subsidy was removed without seeing sufficient benefits from the savings generated by the policy. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced the removal of the petrol subsidy in May 2023 as part of his administration’s economic reforms. Atiku said he did not oppose the decision itself but questioned how the resulting savings had been utilised. He challenged the Federal Government to account for the money generated from the reform, arguing that the funds were supposed to help reduce poverty and support social programmes. Atiku said that if elected, his administration would restore the subsidy and seek to recover funds allegedly misappropriated under the current system. His position places the petrol subsidy at the centre of his economic message as the 2027 presidential campaign gets underway. The Independent National Electoral Commission’s campaign window for presidential and National Assembly elections opened on August 19, 2026. The pledge comes as the Tinubu administration continues to defend the economic reforms introduced since 2023. Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Taiwo Oyedele said on Wednesday that subsidy removal generated ₦15.8 trillion in resources for the federation between June 2023 and December 2025. Oyedele said the figure reflected increased revenue mobilisation, including the impact of changes in the naira value of dollar-denominated transactions following the government’s exchange-rate reforms. Atiku, however, has disputed the government’s presentation of the financial gains from the reforms and has repeatedly demanded greater transparency over the use of the savings. The former vice president’s latest pledge is likely to become a major point of debate in the 2027 presidential contest, particularly as Nigerians continue to grapple with the effects of higher fuel prices and the wider cost-of living crisis. Atiku, who joined the ADC as part of efforts to build a broad opposition platform ahead of the election, is positioning himself as an alternative to the Tinubu administration’s economic policies.