The political battle over Nigeria’s fuel subsidy has taken another turn, with President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, launching a fierce attack on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his promise to restore the policy if elected president in 2027.
Dare described Atiku’s proposal as an attempt to exploit Nigerians’ frustration with the rising cost of living and influence their choice at the ballot box.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), recently said he would restore fuel subsidy if elected in 2027, arguing that Nigerians have not enjoyed enough benefits from its removal under the Tinubu administration.
The former Vice President has repeatedly criticised the economic consequences of the policy, which was scrapped by Tinubu shortly after he assumed office in 2023.
But Dare has dismissed Atiku’s position, arguing that bringing back the subsidy would undermine the economic reforms being implemented by the Federal Government.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the presidential aide accused Atiku of trying to turn public frustration into political capital.
“Atiku Abubakar: Your pronouncement that you will bring back fuel subsidy is drenched in hypocrisy and deceit,” Dare said.
He described the proposal as “an unpardonable manipulation of the public psyche,” alleging that it was designed to “hoodwink unsuspecting Nigerians into voting for you.”
Dare: Subsidy return could reverse Tinubu’s gains
Dare further claimed that Atiku was unhappy with what he described as signs of economic recovery under Tinubu.
According to him, restoring the subsidy could halt the progress recorded through the administration’s economic reforms.
“The ongoing recovery across various sectors of our national life annoys you, and will be halted if this thinking of yours is implemented,” he stated.
The former Minister of Youth and Sports Development urged Nigerians to reject Atiku’s proposal, insisting that the policy would not be allowed to derail the government’s reform agenda.
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“By the Grace of God, it will not happen and all good men of conscience must rise up against you,” Dare added.
Subsidy becomes 2027 campaign battleground
The renewed exchange between Atiku and Tinubu’s camp signals how central fuel subsidy is likely to become as political parties begin positioning themselves for the 2027 presidential election.
While the Tinubu administration has defended subsidy removal as a difficult but necessary reform aimed at reducing the government’s financial burden, the policy has also been blamed by critics for worsening transportation costs, food prices and the wider cost-of-living crisis.
Atiku’s promise to reverse the policy has therefore opened a fresh political argument: whether Nigeria should continue with the current reform path or return to a subsidy system that previous governments struggled to sustain.
With the 2027 race gathering momentum, the question of who has the better solution to Nigeria’s economic hardship is set to become one of the biggest issues on the campaign trail.