The 2027 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has warned Nigerians against what he described as an attempt by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to mislead the public over the controversial fuel subsidy regime.
Sowore made the accusation in a post on his verified X handle on Friday, claiming that the AAC had remained consistent in its opposition to the removal of fuel subsidy.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), had previously pledged to reinstate fuel subsidy if elected president in the 2027 general elections.
The former vice president argued that the removal of subsidy by President Bola Tinubu’s administration had failed to deliver meaningful benefits to Nigerians.
Sowore, however, accused Atiku of changing his position on the issue and attempting to take advantage of growing public dissatisfaction with the Tinubu administration.
“Don’t let Atiku Abubakar and his clowning group deceive you about fuel subsidy or pretend that they are responsible for the panic now gripping the failed Bola Tinubu regime,” Sowore wrote.
He claimed that the AAC had consistently opposed the removal of the subsidy, saying his position had been clearly stated at the Nigerian Bar Association Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt.
“It was our firm and uncompromising stance at the Nigerian Bar Association Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt that sent the Tinubu regime scampering,” he added.
Sowore further accused established political parties of adjusting their positions according to political interests and what he described as foreign capitalist influence.
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“We have been consistent on this issue, while these establishment politicians keep shifting positions according to political convenience and foreign capitalist control,” he said.
The AAC candidate warned Nigerians against allowing political actors to rewrite their previous positions and portray themselves as the leading opposition to the current administration.
“They should not be allowed to rewrite history or suddenly present themselves as the opposition,” Sowore stated.
The exchange comes amid renewed political debate over the removal of petrol subsidy, one of the most contentious economic decisions of the Tinubu administration.
The policy has contributed to a sharp increase in petrol prices and triggered sustained debate among political parties and presidential aspirants over whether the subsidy should be restored or permanently abolished.
With political activities gathering momentum ahead of the 2027 elections, the subsidy debate is increasingly becoming a major campaign issue, with opposition figures seeking to distinguish their economic positions from those of the current administration and one another.