The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, has criticised former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar over his plan to restore petrol subsidy if elected president in 2027.
Adebayo accused the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate of inconsistency, arguing that Atiku’s current position differs from the policy he promoted during the 2023 presidential election.
Speaking during an interview with News Central, Adebayo recalled that Atiku had previously advocated the removal of petrol subsidy and the sale of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
He questioned why the former vice-president was now proposing to restore the subsidy after President Bola Tinubu’s administration had removed it in 2023.
“My colleagues are changing parties, changing manifesto. For example, Vice President Atiku Abubakar said four years ago he will remove subsidy and he will sell NNPC. Now four years later, he is in another party saying no, I am going to restore subsidy,” Adebayo said.
The SDP candidate described the development as a contradiction, arguing that political leaders should maintain consistency in their policy positions.
Adebayo also criticised the movement of politicians between political parties ahead of the 2027 elections, saying the trend reflected a lack of ideological consistency in Nigeria’s political system.
His comments come amid an intensifying debate over petrol subsidy ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Atiku has maintained that he would restore a targeted subsidy if elected, arguing that Nigeria has sufficient resources to provide relief to citizens and improve their purchasing power.
