Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has fired back at President Bola Tinubu over the presidency’s description of his proposal to restore petrol subsidy as economically ignorant, accusing the administration of deepening Nigerians’ hardship while celebrating increased government revenues.
Atiku, in a statement issued on Friday by Phrank Shaibu, his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, said Tinubu lacked the moral ground to lecture Nigerians on economic management after the removal of petrol subsidy, foreign exchange liberalisation and the subsequent surge in living costs.
“The real ignorance is believing suffering is economic policy. Tinubu removed the subsidy from Nigerians’ pockets, but he is yet to remove the questions from his books,” Atiku said.
Atiku had on Wednesday declared that he would restore petrol subsidy if elected president in 2027, arguing that Nigerians could no longer bear the consequences of the current policy.
The presidency, however, rejected the proposal, with Tinubu describing Atiku’s position as a demonstration of “serious ignorance” about governance and the economy.
