‘Tinubu wants Nigerians to forget pain because election is approaching’ – Atiku

The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has accused President Bola Tinubu of planning to make Nigerians forget the hardship caused by the removal of the fuel subsidy as the 2027 election draws closer.

Atiku made the claim in a statement issued on Wednesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, in which he alleged that the Tinubu administration was considering bringing back the fuel subsidy through what he described as “the back door.”

According to the former vice-president, the move was driven by politics rather than concern for Nigerians.

“Tinubu wants Nigerians to forget the pain because an election is approaching. They will not,” Atiku said.

He claimed that his team had received credible intelligence suggesting that the government had entered what he called full panic mode and was preparing to reverse part of its fuel subsidy policy ahead of the next presidential election.

Atiku accused the administration of making Nigerians suffer for years before allegedly planning to offer limited relief close to the election.

“The strategy is as cynical as it is obvious: impoverish Nigerians for three and a half years, wait until the 2027 election is within sight, then hurriedly return a fraction of the relief you denied them and expect gratitude at the ballot box,” he said.