Ogun APC official challenges Atiku’s proposed petrol subsidy
Kayode Oladele, chairman of the Ogun State planning committee for the 2027 APC campaign, has criticised African Democratic Congress candidate Atiku Abubakar’s proposal for a capped subsidy on petrol refined in Nigeria. Oladele said the plan must disclose its cost, funding, eligibility rules and safeguards before voters can assess it.
Kayode Oladele, chairman of the planning committee of the 2027 APC Presidential and Governorship Campaign Committee in Ogun State, has criticised Atiku Abubakar’s proposal for a capped subsidy on petrol refined in Nigeria. Oladele, a former federal lawmaker, said in a statement on Sunday that changing the description from consumption subsidy to production subsidy did not resolve the central questions surrounding government support for petrol prices. Atiku, the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate for 2027, has proposed limiting the intervention to petrol refined domestically, including output from modular refineries.
Imported petrol would not qualify, and he has promised that payments and costs would be published and independently audited. Oladele said the proposal should specify the subsidy rate, the volume of eligible petrol, the annual spending limit and the source of funding. He also questioned how the government would ensure that any support paid to refiners benefited consumers at filling stations rather than being diverted.
He said similar questions had been raised by the APC Presidential Campaign Council. Oladele also referred to Section 205(1) of the Petroleum Industry Act, which establishes market-based pricing for petroleum products, asking how the proposed programme would operate within that framework. Oladele contrasted Atiku’s proposal with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s approach, which he described as an effort to restructure the energy and transport economy rather than continue government support for fuel consumption.
He acknowledged that the reforms had created adjustment pressures. He also defended the administration’s transport initiatives, including the expansion of compressed natural gas infrastructure. According to Oladele, the government’s stated aim is to create alternatives to petrol and reduce commercial transport’s dependence on it.
He said Atiku was entitled to propose a different programme, but should provide its full financial calculations.
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