Atiku Abubakar Pledges Fuel Subsidy Restoration for 2027 Bid

Presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar pledged to restore fuel subsidies and prioritize national security if elected in 2027. Speaking during a reception in Akure, Ondo State, where he welcomed former Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate Eyitayo Jegede and other defectors into the African Democratic Congress, Abubakar criticized the All Progressives Congress for Nigeria's economic decline and called for the removal of President Bola Tinubu from office.

Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser on Policy Communication to President Tinubu, dismissed Abubakar's promises as "populist rhetoric," asserting that there is no viable plan to bring back the subsidy. This dispute follows remarks by Abubakar's spokesman, Kenneth Okonkwo, who argued that because the original subsidy removal in 2023 occurred without a plan, it could similarly be restored without one.

President Bola Tinubu ended the fuel subsidy regime during his 2023 inauguration in Abuja to eliminate cabals and redirect funds. While Abubakar expands his coalition through PDP defectors, the ruling All Progressives Congress recently gained support from Sola Ebiseni, the secretary general of Afenifere, who defected from the Labour Party to support Tinubu's re-election bid.