The national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, has condemned former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s proposal to reverse the removal of petrol subsidy if elected president in 2027.

Mr Yilwatda, ‌⁠‍‍⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‍‌⁠‌in a statement on Monday in Abuja, described Mr Atiku’s proposal as a deeply troubling policy u-turn that raised serious questions about the opposition’s preparedness to govern Nigeria.

The statement was issued by Mr Yilwatda’s special adviser on media and information strategy, Abimbola Tooki.

He said Nigerians deserved more than election-season declarations, adding that any proposal to restore a costly subsidy regime must undergo rigorous scrutiny.

This, he said, was especially true given the enormous fiscal burden subsidies placed on public finances and the distortions they created in the economy.

According to the statement, Mr Yilwatda made the remarks during a visit to the City Boy Movement headquarters in Abuja, where he inspected the organisation’s facilities and interacted with its leadership.

He noted that the opposition had been challenged repeatedly over the past three years to tell Nigerians what it would do differently if entrusted with power, yet no serious, coherent, and convincing alternative had emerged.

He said it was therefore suspicious that, after more than three years of silence on a comprehensive governing agenda, Mr Atiku was only now, about four months before the 2027 general election, presenting a policy that could reverse hard-won economic adjustments.

According to the APC national chairman, Mr Atiku’s proposal will set the country’s development trajectory back several years.

“Economic policy cannot be reduced to election-season promises. Nigerians deserve to know precisely where the money will come from.

“What sectors will bear the cost and whether such a policy can be sustained without reopening the fiscal pressures that necessitated reform in the first place,” Mr Yilwatda said.

He maintained that removing the subsidy was a difficult but necessary policy decision whose consequences required complementary measures to cushion its impact, expand social intervention and strengthen productive sectors of the economy.

He added that the real test of leadership was not the ability to promise immediate relief for electoral advantage but the courage to take difficult decisions.

He said it also required explaining such decisions to citizens and remaining committed to policies capable of producing sustainable growth.

Mr Yilwatda said Nigerians were too discerning to hand over the nation to politicians who had yet to demonstrate what they would do with presidential power beyond reversing difficult but necessary reforms.

He added that Nigerians should carefully examine competing economic programmes ahead of the 2027 elections.

The APC national chairman said they should distinguish between policies designed to address structural problems and promises that might provide short-term political appeal while creating longer-term fiscal difficulties.

He criticised the opposition’s lack of ideological and organisational consistency.

He said politicians who continually move from one political platform to another could not credibly claim to offer the stability and clarity required to govern a complex country like Nigeria.

Mr Yilwatda noted that President Bola Tinubu had remained within the progressive political tradition throughout his political career, apart from periods of political mergers, while Vice-President Kashim Shettima had also maintained a consistent political trajectory.

He added that key APC stakeholders had remained committed to the party and its progressive platform.

Mr Yilwatda further said the APC-led administration under Mr Tinubu had taken difficult economic decisions and was implementing measures to reposition the economy and attract investment.

He added that the administration had also taken economic decisions to strengthen domestic production and reduce dependence on unsustainable government interventions.

He warned that reversing such reforms without a credible alternative could undermine investor confidence, worsen fiscal pressures, and jeopardise the gains the current administration is pursuing.

He urged Nigerians to be wary of political promises that appear designed primarily to secure votes rather than solve structural problems.

Mr Yilwatda also urged Nigerians to scrutinise the records and policy positions of those seeking the presidency, including the history of disputes involving Mr Atiku and former president Olusegun Obasanjo.

He said they should particularly scrutinise allegations surrounding corruption in the privatisation exercise undertaken during the Obasanjo administration.

According to him, questions of accountability and economic governance must not be swept aside in the rush toward another election.

The APC national chairman said the 2027 election should be a contest of ideas, competence, and credible policy alternatives, not a competition in which difficult economic realities were glossed over for political convenience.

He said the 2027 election must be a contest between competing visions for Nigeria’s future, not a referendum on who could make the most attractive promises at the last minute.

He reiterated that the APC would continue to defend policies aimed at building a more productive, investment-friendly, and economically sustainable Nigeria, while remaining open to constructive criticism and credible alternatives.

(NAN)