The media adviser to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Paul Ibe, has defended his principal’s decision to change his position on petrol subsidy, saying a leader should be willing to review a policy when its implementation causes hardship to citizens.
Mr Ibe made the position known in a statement posted on his X handle on Friday, in response to the presidency’s criticism of Atiku’s recent promise to restore petrol subsidy if elected president in 2027.
The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, had criticised Atiku’s position as a reversal of the policy stance he held during the 2023 presidential campaign.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 election, had said he would restore petrol subsidy if elected, arguing that the removal of the subsidy had imposed severe economic pressure on Nigerians without sufficient evidence that the savings had been properly deployed.
“If I win the presidential election, I will restore the subsidy. And anyone who stole Nigeria’s subsidy funds must return the money,” Atiku said during a Facebook Live session.
