Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has criticised former Vice-President and 2027 presidential hopeful Atiku Abubakar over his promise to restore petrol subsidy if elected president.
Wike described Atiku as a confused politician and voodoo economist, arguing that the former vice-president had taken a contradictory position on fuel subsidy.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, recently said he would restore petrol subsidy if elected in 2027. He also questioned the Federal Government’s management of the savings reportedly generated following the removal of the subsidy.
President Bola Tinubu announced the removal of the petrol subsidy during his inaugural address on May 29, 2023, making the policy one of the most consequential economic decisions of his administration.
Speaking with journalists in Abuja on Thursday, Wike challenged Atiku’s latest position, recalling that the former vice-president had previously supported the removal of subsidy. Atiku Abubakar, who is confused and a voodoo economist, will say anything just to be president, Wike said.
The FCT minister questioned how Atiku could now campaign for the restoration of a policy he had previously criticised.
According to Wike, Atiku had argued in 2022 that fuel subsidy was fraudulent and should be removed.
In 2022, he said he would remove the fuel subsidy because it was a fraud. Is he going back to the fraud that he had alleged was the fuel subsidy?” Wike asked.
He urged political leaders to maintain consistency in their policy positions, particularly when making promises to Nigerians ahead of elections.
We should be consistent in what we say to our people because that is what leadership is all about, he added.
Wike also dismissed the suggestion that Atiku is among the leading contenders for the 2027 presidential election.
According to the minister, President Bola Tinubu remains the dominant candidate ahead of the election.
“I disagree with you that Atiku is one of the leading candidates. You have only one leading candidate, and that is Ahmed Bola Tinubu, Wike said.
He further argued that the 2027 presidential election would be easier for the ruling party than the 2023 contest because, in his assessment, there is currently no opposition strong enough to challenge the government.
“I have told people that this will be the easiest election. I have said so because we have no opposition. Opposition is not merely because parties have presented their candidates,” he said.
Wike compared the political environment ahead of the 2027 election with that of 2023, saying the previous election presented a stronger challenge.
“There was more opposition in 2023 than now. That is why I say that 2027 is gone. It is gone because you don’t have any opposition that wants to wrest power from the government, he added.
Atiku’s proposal to restore petrol subsidy has emerged as a major issue in the early political debate ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Supporters of subsidy removal have argued that the policy placed a significant burden on government finances and that its removal would free resources for infrastructure and other public programmes.
Critics, however, have continued to point to the impact of subsidy removal on petrol prices, transportation costs, inflation and household purchasing power.
Atiku has also questioned what happened to the funds saved from subsidy removal, making transparency and accountability central to his argument for reviewing the policy.
Wike, however, believes Atiku’s latest position represents a departure from his earlier stance and accused the former vice-president of changing his position in pursuit of political advantage.
The disagreement adds another dimension to the emerging 2027 campaign, with economic policy, fuel prices and the future of subsidy likely to remain major issues for Nigerian voters.
