The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, has accused former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of inconsistency over his plan to restore petrol subsidy if elected President in 2027.
Adebayo made the accusation on Wednesday during an interview with News Central while reacting to Atiku’s recent position on fuel subsidy.
Atiku, who is contesting the 2027 presidential election on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), recently said he would restore subsidy if elected, arguing that Nigeria has sufficient resources to ease the economic burden on citizens.
However, Adebayo questioned the consistency of the former vice-president’s position, noting that Atiku had campaigned in the 2023 presidential election on a promise to remove petrol subsidy.
“My colleagues are changing parties, changing manifesto. For example, Vice President Atiku Abubakar said four years ago he will remove subsidy on day one and he will sell NNPC. Now four years later, he is in another party saying no, I am going to restore subsidy,” Adebayo said.
He described the development as a contradiction, arguing that Atiku’s current position differed significantly from the position he took during the 2023 election.
Adebayo said Atiku had previously described the subsidy regime as economically unsustainable, making his current proposal to restore it difficult to reconcile with his earlier position.
“Something that was in place, you said you will remove it. Now your colleague removed it. Now you say you want to put it back. Inconsistency,” he said.
The controversy comes amid renewed political debate over the impact of the fuel subsidy removal introduced by President Bola Tinubu shortly after his inauguration in May 2023.
Atiku has maintained that his proposed intervention should not be interpreted as a return to the former subsidy regime.
The ADC presidential candidate has argued that Nigeria can use its crude oil resources and domestic refining capacity to support the production and distribution of petroleum products while reducing the burden on consumers.
He has also said his proposed approach would focus on restoring purchasing power and making essential goods and services more affordable for Nigerians.
The subsidy debate has increasingly become a major issue ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with opposition parties divided over whether the policy should be reversed, reviewed or maintained.
While Atiku has presented his position as a targeted intervention aimed at easing hardship, critics such as Adebayo have questioned the consistency of his economic policy proposals.
With political parties already positioning themselves for the 2027 contest, the disagreement is expected to fuel further debate over fuel pricing, economic reforms and the best approach to reducing the cost of living in Nigeria.