Fuel subsidy: Presidency blasts Atiku over third U-turn

The Presidency has again criticised former Vice President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, over his position on petrol subsidy, accusing him of political posturing and policy inconsistency.

The Presidency also accused Atiku of “suffering from a lack of basic understanding of his newfound policy prescription.”

Atiku had said he would restore fuel subsidy to reduce the hardship faced by Nigerians if elected president.

However, his aide, Paul Ibe, said on Tuesday that the former vice president would restore the subsidy and later remove it.

Reacting in a statement on Wednesday, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the development raised questions about whether Atiku was proposing a serious economic policy or playing politics with the hardship faced by Nigerians.

“The latest comments by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar on petrol subsidy raise a fundamental question: is he seriously proposing an economic policy, or is he simply playing politics with the temporary discomfort Nigerians face?” Onanuga said.

He said Nigerians had heard three different explanations of what an Atiku administration would do about petrol subsidy within a week.

“Within a week, Nigerians have heard three different explanations of what an Atiku administration would do about petrol subsidy.

“The confusion has now become impossible to ignore,” he said.

Onanuga said the first position came from Atiku’s spokesperson, Paul Ibe, who said Atiku would restore petrol subsidy if elected and later phase it out.

“First, Atiku’s spokesperson, Paul Ibe, said Atiku would restore petrol subsidy if elected president and later phase it out.

“Ibe described it as a temporary intervention intended to give Nigerians and businesses room to recover,” he said.

According to Onanuga, another senior aide, Phrank Shaibu, subsequently described Ibe’s statement as an “unauthorised and misleading characterisation” of Atiku’s position.

“Then came a clarification from another senior aide, Phrank Shaibu, who said Ibe’s statement was an ‘unauthorised and misleading characterisation’ of Atiku’s position.

“According to Shaibu, Atiku will not set a predetermined date for ending the subsidy,” he said.

Onanuga said Shaibu instead argued that the subsidy would remain until domestic refining expanded, supply stabilised, competition deepened and market conditions allowed affordable prices without government support.

“But just hours later, Atiku himself intervened and effectively overruled that clarification,” he said.

“He insisted that his position ‘has not changed’ and that he would restore what he called a ‘targeted subsidy’ if elected president. He also said, ‘I will restore targeted subsidy and put purchasing power back in the hands of Nigerians.

“This is not merely a matter of semantics. It is a serious policy contradiction.”

The Presidency questioned why Atiku’s aides had offered different explanations if his position had remained unchanged.

“If Atiku’s position has not changed, why did one of his principal aides say the subsidy would be temporary and phased out?

“Why did another senior aide have to publicly disown that explanation and introduce a completely different framework based on market conditions?

“And why did Atiku then step in to reaffirm the original position?” Onanuga asked.

He said Nigerians deserved clarity on the former vice president’s position.

“Nigerians deserve clarity, not policy by trial and error,” he said.