Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, said in Nigeria on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, that he would restore the fuel subsidy if elected president in the 2027 election, reversing his earlier position that he did not oppose its removal.

Atiku made the pledge as Nigeria’s 2027 presidential campaign enters a more consequential phase, with economic hardship and the cost of living expected to remain central issues for voters.

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“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 an interview.

He also questioned how the savings generated by the removal of the subsidy had been used, arguing that Nigerians had yet to see sufficient improvements in essential public services.

“I initially did not oppose the removal of the fuel subsidy. But now that it has been removed, where is the money?” Atiku said.

He specifically asked whether the savings had been channelled into healthcare, education and security.

The pledge marks a significant shift in Atiku’s position. He had previously supported the removal of the subsidy, but now argues that the policy has not delivered enough benefits to Nigerians to justify leaving it in place.

President Bola Tinubu announced the end of the petrol subsidy during his inauguration on May 29, 2023, describing the regime as increasingly costly and unsustainable.

He said the resources would instead be redirected towards infrastructure, education, healthcare and jobs.

The Tinubu administration has since defended the decision as a necessary part of its broader economic reform programme.

In 2023, the President said subsidy payments had consumed trillions of naira annually and argued that the money could be used more productively elsewhere.

The government has also maintained that ending the subsidy improved public finances.

In May 2026, Tinubu said the reform had helped save Nigeria from imminent bankruptcy and provided a foundation for gradual economic recovery.

The policy has nevertheless imposed a heavy burden on households and businesses through higher petrol prices and increased transport and living costs.

The economic consequences have become a major political issue as the 2027 contest gathers momentum.

Atiku’s new position therefore places fuel subsidy at the centre of a wider argument over how Nigeria should balance fiscal reform with immediate relief for citizens.

Supporters of subsidy removal argue that maintaining the system would recreate the fiscal pressures that successive governments struggled to manage.

Critics, including Atiku, contend that Nigerians have borne the costs without receiving a sufficiently clear account of the savings or seeing comparable improvements in living standards.

The debate is also complicated by the history of subsidy administration in Nigeria, which has faced longstanding allegations of fraud, opaque payments and smuggling.

Tinubu has argued that the old system benefited a narrow group while draining public resources.

Atiku’s call for the return of the subsidy comes as he prepares to challenge Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election under the ADC.

The campaign is expected to focus heavily on the economy, with the two political camps offering sharply different approaches to the country’s reform agenda.

For Atiku, restoring the subsidy would represent a direct response to the economic pressure many Nigerians continue to face.

For Tinubu’s administration, preserving the reform remains central to its argument that Nigeria must move away from costly policies that it considers fiscally unsustainable.

The coming campaign will determine whether voters favour continued economic restructuring or a return to policies designed to provide more immediate relief at the pump.