The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Nentawe Yilwatda, has criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s proposal to restore petrol subsidy, warning that the policy could put Nigeria’s finances under renewed pressure.
Yilwatda said returning to the subsidy regime could reverse gains recorded from the economic reforms introduced by the President Bola Tinubu administration.
The APC chairman spoke in Abuja while receiving a delegation of economic stakeholders who visited him to discuss the state of the economy, ongoing reforms and the country’s prospects for sustainable growth.
He argued that the debate over fuel subsidy should go beyond political promises and be considered in light of the financial burden the policy previously placed on the government.
Yilwatda said the subsidy regime affected the government’s ability to fund key areas, including salaries, pensions, education and infrastructure.
He also questioned how Atiku’s proposed subsidy would be financed and sustained without recreating the fiscal difficulties associated with the previous system.
“Economic policy cannot be reduced to election-season promises,” Yilwatda said.
“Nigerians deserve to know precisely where the money will come from, what sectors will bear the cost, and whether such a policy can be sustained without reopening the fiscal pressures that necessitated reform in the first place.”
Atiku, who is seeking the presidency in 2027 under the African Democratic Congress, has proposed restoring a targeted petrol subsidy if elected.
The former Vice President has argued that the policy would help make petrol more affordable for Nigerians while his administration works towards an eventual phase-out.
Yilwatda, however, described the proposal as a major policy reversal, saying the removal of subsidy in 2023 was a difficult but necessary decision.
According to him, the consequences of subsidy removal should be addressed through measures that cushion its impact on Nigerians, strengthen social interventions and increase productive activities rather than returning to the previous system.
He said the real test of leadership was not promising immediate relief for electoral advantage but taking difficult decisions and maintaining policies capable of producing sustainable economic growth.
The APC chairman also urged Nigerians to examine the economic programmes of politicians seeking their votes ahead of the 2027 general election.
He said voters should distinguish between policies capable of addressing structural economic challenges and promises that may offer short-term relief while creating greater fiscal difficulties in the future.
Yilwatda further questioned the timing of Atiku’s proposal, coming months before the 2027 election, and said Nigerians deserved to know what alternative economic policies the opposition would implement if elected.
He warned that reversing existing reforms without a credible alternative could increase fiscal pressures and undermine efforts to reposition the economy.
The APC chairman also defended the Tinubu administration’s economic policies, saying the government had taken difficult decisions aimed at attracting investment, strengthening domestic production and reducing reliance on unsustainable government interventions.
He urged Nigerians to scrutinise the records and policy positions of all presidential candidates before deciding who to support in the 2027 election.