Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has alleged that President Bola Tinubu may temporarily restore petrol subsidy as a political response to growing public pressure ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Atiku made the allegation on Friday during a world press conference in Abuja, where he discussed rising petrol prices and a planned protest by transport operators in Lagos. He warned Nigerians against what he described as a possible temporary intervention followed by a return to subsidy removal after the election.
Atiku said the planned protest could provide the administration with an opportunity to introduce temporary relief. “That protest will provide Bola Tinubu the excuse to temporarily bring back fuel subsidy,” he alleged, adding that the policy could subsequently be reversed if Tinubu secured another term.
The allegation comes amid renewed political debate over petrol pricing and the economic consequences of subsidy removal. Tinubu announced the end of the petrol subsidy regime during his May 29, 2023 inauguration speech, after which pump prices increased significantly.
Atiku has separately promised to restore a form of petrol subsidy if elected in 2027. He has also proposed directing support toward petroleum products refined locally, arguing that such a policy could help reduce fuel prices while encouraging domestic refining.
The subsidy debate has become an important issue in the build-up to the 2027 election, with supporters and critics of the policy focusing on its impact on government finances, petrol prices, transportation costs and household purchasing power.
The Tinubu administration has maintained that returning to the previous subsidy system is not the solution to rising fuel costs. In a recent response to calls for subsidy restoration, the President said the government would instead expand compressed natural gas and electric-powered transportation as alternatives aimed at reducing transport expenses.
The disagreement places fuel pricing and energy policy among the major economic issues likely to feature in Nigeria’s 2027 presidential campaign, particularly as political parties present competing proposals on how to address the cost of living.
