Atiku Tinubu fuel subsidy dispute

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Nigeria — African Democratic Congress, rejected President Bola Tinubu's characterization of his proposed petroleum-sector intervention as 'serious ignorance on governance and economy.' Atiku defended his plan as a targeted, temporary production-support mechanism, not a return to the open-ended subsidy regime removed in May 2023. He accused the Tinubu administration of worsening the cost-of-living crisis while celebrating increased government revenues, citing rising petrol, transport, and food prices and naira depreciation. Atiku challenged the Federal Government to explain approximately ₦17.5tn in petroleum under-recoveries and energy-security costs recorded in NNPC accounts, and renewed demands for reconciliation of about ₦30tn in Federation Account revenues and the ₦12.8tn Service-Wide Vote in the 2026 budget. The exchange follows Tinubu's criticism of Atiku's proposal during a meeting with Nigeria — Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke. Atiku argued that economic reform should be measured by citizens' welfare, not government revenues, and warned Nigerians against another term of policies he said deepen hardship.