The battle over Nigeria’s petrol subsidy regime has opened another front in the 2027 presidential contest, with former Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode warning that Atiku Abubakar’s plan to restore subsidy could undermine the country’s economic reforms.
Fani-Kayode made the claim in an article titled “The Seventh Bid of Waziri,” where he criticised the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate’s decision to seek the presidency again and questioned the economic implications of his proposed fuel policy.
Atiku has repeatedly defended his position on subsidy, insisting that, if elected, he would restore a targeted intervention to reduce transportation and living costs. He has also proposed linking the support to petroleum products refined domestically, with spending limits, legislative approval and independent audits.
Fani-Kayode, however, argued that bringing back subsidy would reverse gains made since the policy was removed and described Atiku’s proposed approach as potentially damaging to the Nigerian economy.
His intervention comes amid an increasingly prominent debate over whether petrol-price relief should take the form of government subsidy or whether Nigeria should sustain the post-2023 policy framework while addressing the cost-of-living consequences.
Atiku has argued that Nigerians have not seen sufficient benefits from the removal of subsidy and has questioned what happened to the savings generated by the policy. The Federal Government has said the removal of petrol subsidy and foreign-exchange reforms generated an estimated N15.8 trillion in resources for the Federation between June 2023 and December 2025.
The subsidy controversy has consequently become a point of sharp disagreement between Atiku and supporters of the current economic direction, with the APC Presidential Campaign Council recently asking the ADC candidate to explain the legal, fiscal and operational framework of his proposed intervention.
Beyond the economic argument, Fani-Kayode also used his article to revisit Atiku’s political history, listing his participation in presidential contests and party primaries dating back to 1993.
Atiku contested the presidency in 2007, 2019 and 2023, while also unsuccessfully seeking party nominations in 1993, 2011 and 2015. He is now the ADC candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
The latest exchange adds the subsidy question to the wider political contest over how Nigeria should balance economic reform, household relief and government spending ahead of the 2027 election.
