2027: Atiku hits back at Tinubu over rising fuel and cost of living

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar criticized President Bola Tinubu for the government’s handling of fuel prices and the wider cost of living crisis, and accused the government of letting Nigerians endure prolonged economic hardship while only starting to promise aid ahead of the 2027 elections.

Atiku’s response was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications, Phrank Shaibu, entitled, “Tinubu, the problem is not Atiku – that is why Nigerians can no longer afford to live.”

According to Shaibu, Atiku is not interested in turning the debate into a personal confrontation with the President, and is adamant that his real concern is the millions of Nigerians who are struggling every day with rising prices of food, transport and other basic necessities.

He said, “Atiku has important people who could be directly involved: mothers who struggle to feed their children; civil servants whose wages are lost to transportation; farmers who pay more to move produce to market; students who are drowning in debt just to stay in school; and millions of Nigerians whose daily realities bear no resemblance to the prosperity advertised in your tweets.”

The statement follows Tinubu’s recent comments on economic policy, where the President reportedly criticized Atiku’s proposals to reduce energy costs and ruled out a return to the previous fuel subsidy regime.

Also read: How Security Forces Stormed Kogi Kidnappers’ Camp, Freeing 15 NYSC Members, Six Others

But Shaibu questioned why the Federal Government was now talking about cheaper transport, increased food production and support for Nigeria’s vulnerable communities after its citizens had spent years facing the painful consequences of economic reforms.

“Why did Nigerians have to suffer for more than three years before your government learned that economic growth must reach ‘tables and pockets’. Why was the intervention backward when Atiku proposed it, but progressive when you announced it?,” he asked.

Atiku’s camp argues that falling energy costs could trigger broader relief across the economy by reducing transportation and production costs.

According to the statement, cheaper energy would also reduce costs incurred in moving agricultural produce and manufactured goods, potentially lowering prices for consumers.

Shaibu said the Atiku Economic Recovery Plan proposed targeted intervention in Nigeria’s crude oil supply to domestic refiners based on what he described as a controlled and transparent system.

The proposed framework, he explained, would involve limited and transparently budgeted interventions, as well as mechanisms to track crude oil supplies to refiners, monitor refined oil products and ensure that their benefits ultimately reach consumers.

“The economics are straightforward. Reduce fuel costs, and you reduce the pressure on transportation. Reduce transportation costs, and you reduce the costs of moving tomatoes, rice, sweet potatoes, livestock and manufactured goods,” he said.

The new exchange highlights the growing dispute over economic policy ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with fuel prices, energy costs and the purchasing power of Nigerians increasingly emerging as key points of contention between Tinubu’s government and opposition figures.

Atiku continues to argue that reducing energy costs is critical to making life more affordable for Nigerians, while the Federal Government maintains its stance that returning to the previous subsidy regime would undermine the economic reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration.