Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike has criticised African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar over his position on fuel subsidy, describing him as a “voodoo economist” and questioning his status as a leading contender for the 2027 presidential election.
Wike spoke on Wednesday while responding to journalists during an inspection of ongoing road projects in Abuja. He rejected suggestions that Atiku was among the leading contenders for the presidency, maintaining that President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was the only leading candidate.
The disagreement followed comments attributed to Atiku during a Hausa-language interview on Wednesday, in which the former vice president said he had not opposed subsidy removal but questioned how the resulting savings had been used.
“I did not oppose the removal of the oil subsidy, but where is the money? Where did it go? It was intended to reduce poverty and help children attend school. Where is the money now? It seems they are just stealing it,” Atiku said.
He also said that if elected president, he would restore the fuel subsidy and pursue the recovery of funds allegedly misappropriated.
“If elected, I will bring back the oil subsidy, and whoever stole the money must refund it,” he said.
Wike contrasted Atiku’s current position with a statement attributed to him in 2022, when he reportedly said he would remove the fuel subsidy within his first 100 days in office. The FCT minister argued that the change demonstrated inconsistency and questioned the practicality of reversing the policy under the current structure of Nigeria’s petroleum industry.
“Atiku, who is confused? Who acts like a voodoo economist? Atiku would say anything just to be president. This was a man in 2022 who said he was going to remove the fuel subsidy because it was a fraud. Now, in 2026, he is not going to remove the fuel subsidy,” Wike said.
He also referred to the Petroleum Industry Act and the commercialisation of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, arguing that the government is no longer the sole importer or producer of petroleum products.
“Is he going to give fuel subsidy to the Dangote Refinery? The fuel produced by Dangote Refinery, is it not going to be impossible? Tell people the simple truth,” he said. Wike argued that rather than promising to restore subsidy, Atiku should advocate better use of savings generated from its removal.
Wike also dismissed the suggestion that Atiku was a leading presidential candidate, saying the opposition lacked the unity required to challenge the ruling party.
“I disagree with you that Atiku is one of the leading candidates, I disagree with you. I disagree with you. You have only one leading candidate, and that’s Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu. I have told people this will be the easiest election,” he said.
He argued that the opposition was less coordinated than it was in 2023.
“No opposition is united to say, ‘Look, we want to remove this government in power.’ And so, for me, I see that there was more opposition in 2023 than now. And that’s why I say that 2027 is gone. It’s gone because you don’t have an opposition that want to wrestle power from the government,” Wike stated.
The minister also credited subsidy removal with reducing financial pressure on state and local governments, citing improved capacity to pay salaries and pensions.
“Nobody talks about non-payment of pensions, nobody talks about non-payment of salaries. Before, for you to pay salaries, you would beg and beg the banks to give you money. But all those things are now things of the past. So, the voodoo economist that Atiku is, he has nothing to offer this country,” he said.
On security in Abuja, Wike rejected claims that armed robbery had increased in the capital. “I am not saying there are no one or two incidents of crime, but to say that armed robbery has increased in Abuja, I don’t agree. Very much, I will not agree to that because we have our security report,” he said.
He added that security agencies would notify the FCT Administration of reported incidents and expressed confidence in their ability to respond. Wike also addressed complaints about the performance of Area Council chairmen, saying they were elected by residents and therefore accountable to them.
“They are the people who elected them. They should ask them. I did not appoint them, they were elected. So, everybody has his own constitutional role,” he said.
