Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesperson for the 2027 presidential campaign of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has defended the Atiku fuel subsidy plan, saying the proposal is designed to make petrol more affordable rather than restore the previous subsidy regime. Okonkwo made the clarification during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, following criticism of Atiku’s proposal to restore petrol subsidy if elected president in 2027.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), had announced the proposal on Wednesday. His position generated controversy because of his reported advocacy for the removal of petrol subsidy during the 2023 presidential campaign. The former vice-president also questioned the Tinubu administration over the utilisation of funds saved following the removal of the subsidy.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu subsequently criticised the proposal, describing it as evidence of “serious ignorance of governance and economy” and arguing that the previous subsidy system had placed a significant financial burden on Nigeria.
Responding to the criticism, Okonkwo said Atiku was not proposing a return to the previous subsidy structure, which he associated with heavy dependence on imported petrol.
“The whole idea of the Atiku plan is affordability of fuel to the ordinary Nigerian,” he said.
He further criticised Tinubu’s interpretation of the proposal.
“It is ignorance of Tinubu to say that Atiku wants to go back to the subsidy of the old,” Okonkwo said.
According to the campaign spokesman, Atiku’s proposal, described as the Atiku Fuel Affordability Plan (AFAP), would rely on increased domestic refining and government intervention in crude oil supply to local refineries. He said the government would make crude oil available to domestic refiners at a price that would allow them to produce petrol at lower costs.
“He said, ‘I will supply the needed crude to our local refineries at a price that will be fair enough for them to use to produce the fuel at a reduced and affordable price to Nigerians,’” Okonkwo said.
Okonkwo argued that Nigeria’s historical dependence on imported petrol contributed to the development of the previous subsidy system. He maintained that successive governments would not have needed such an arrangement if the country had developed sufficient domestic refining capacity and maintained adequate fuel supply.
“This was the way the subsidy of the old operated. They were importing 100 per cent of the fuel. We didn’t have any refinery,” he said.
The campaign spokesman further alleged that the previous arrangement created opportunities for manipulation involving fuel import volumes and prices, with the financial burden ultimately falling on Nigerians. He insisted that Atiku’s proposal was fundamentally different from that system and would instead focus on using domestic refining capacity to reduce the cost of petrol.
“Atiku is not going back to that and cannot even go back to that,” Okonkwo said.
The controversy over the proposal comes as fuel affordability remains a major economic and political issue ahead of the 2027 presidential election. The competing positions also highlight differing approaches among political actors on how Nigeria should manage petrol prices, domestic refining and the financial consequences of subsidy policies.
