A foundation member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osita Okechukwu, has accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of political desperation over his proposal to retain fuel subsidy if elected president in 2027.
Okechukwu, a former Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), described Atiku’s position as an opportunistic electoral promise aimed at exploiting the economic hardship facing Nigerians.
Key Highlights
- Osita Okechukwu accuses Atiku Abubakar of political desperation ahead of the 2027 election.
- APC chieftain questions Atiku’s proposal to retain fuel subsidy.
- Okechukwu says fuel subsidy removal has contributed to severe economic hardship.
- He challenges Atiku to present detailed solutions to poverty, corruption and insecurity.
- Okechukwu advocates domestic crude oil supply to Dangote and other local refineries to reduce petrol prices.
In a statement issued in Enugu on Sunday, Okechukwu said Atiku’s promise amounted to “medicine after death”, arguing that the former vice president had previously supported the position that fuel subsidy removal was inevitable.
He acknowledged that the removal of petrol subsidy, like other components of Nigeria’s long-running economic policies, had produced painful consequences for citizens.
According to him, the effects include declining living standards, pressure on small and medium-scale enterprises, rising unemployment, increased multidimensional poverty and worsening insecurity, including kidnapping.
Okechukwu questions Atiku’s policy shift
Okechukwu questioned how Atiku, who he said was aligned with President Bola Tinubu in 2022 on the inevitability of fuel subsidy removal, could now campaign on retaining the subsidy.
“One is at a loss how His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, who was not only on the same page with President Bola Tinubu in 2022 that removal of fuel subsidy was inevitable, but was also a kingpin in the first phase implementation of the Fourth Republic’s neoliberal economic policies, can now present himself as the champion of fuel subsidy retention?” he said.
Okechukwu also cited Atiku’s involvement in economic policies during previous administrations, including fuel subsidy removal and the privatisation of state-owned enterprises.
He argued that some of those policies had produced outcomes that adversely affected Nigerians and slowed economic growth.
On Atiku’s proposal to retain fuel subsidy ahead of the 2027 presidential election, Okechukwu asked: “What has changed?”
He described the proposal as “the height of political desperation and inconsistency” and questioned whether it was designed primarily to win votes amid the current economic hardship.
Northern voters are politically sophisticated
Okechukwu also criticised Atiku’s decision to communicate the subsidy proposal through a Hausa-language platform, suggesting that the former vice president expected the message to resonate strongly with voters in Northern Nigeria.
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“Perhaps Atiku assumes that the Northern electorate will readily buy-in the kite he is flying? Permit me to remind him that Northern electorate are one of the most politically sophisticated electorates in our dear country,” he said.
Keywords: Taraba
He added that Atiku should not assume that his political appeal among northern voters would automatically translate into electoral support.
Okechukwu urged the former vice president to focus on presenting detailed solutions to the country’s economic and security challenges.
APC chieftain demands alternative economic solutions
According to Okechukwu, Nigerians are waiting for clearly articulated policies capable of addressing poverty, corruption and insecurity rather than campaign promises designed primarily to secure votes.
“Nigerians are anxiously waiting for well-digested and articulated line-by-line solutions on how best to lift millions out of poverty, how best to cap corruption that seems to be growing wings and contain palpable insecurity, not copy paste last-minute populist manifesto designed principally to win votes,” he said.
Okechukwu said Nigerians should demand strict implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), particularly provisions relating to domestic crude oil supply.
He argued that ensuring adequate crude oil supplies to local refineries could provide a more sustainable route to lower petrol prices than relying on fuel subsidies.
Okechukwu backs crude supply to local refineries
The APC chieftain maintained that the solution to reducing petrol prices lies in ensuring a steady supply of crude oil to Dangote Refinery and other domestic refineries in naira, in accordance with the provisions of the PIA.
He said such an arrangement would enable local refineries to compete more effectively and potentially reduce pressure on fuel prices.
The debate over fuel subsidy is expected to remain a major issue in the 2027 presidential election as political parties and candidates present competing proposals for addressing Nigeria’s cost-of-living crisis and energy challenges.
