Subsidy: Oyegun backs Atiku

A former Governor of Edo State and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, Chief John Oyegun, says the economic hardship following the removal of petrol subsidy is strengthening support for the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, ahead of the 2027 election.

Oyegun, in an interview with Sunday PUNCH, said Atiku’s proposal for a production-based intervention in the petroleum sector was increasingly resonating with Nigerians frustrated by rising transportation, food and living costs.

According to him, millions of Nigerians are now receptive to Atiku’s position because they have yet to feel the benefits of the subsidy removal announced by President Bola Tinubu in May 2023.

“Millions of Nigerians are receiving his message of subsidy reversal with a strong sense of conviction. As a former vice president, he will run a stable government because he has seen it all.

“He will be coming into government from the position of experience and he will take another look at the subsidy policy because three years after its removal, nothing has changed,” Oyegun said.

Oyegun said the government’s major error was ending the subsidy without first addressing the corruption and structural weaknesses in the system.

“The biggest mistake of the present government is its handling of the subsidy regime. The President should have taken his time to study the issues, the corruption in the system and correct what was wrong with it.

“Subsidy was not the issue but the manner it was being run,” he said.

The former governor said an Atiku-led administration would take a different approach to governance and accountability.

“With Atiku, there would be no hiding place for corrupt, inefficient government officials. Actions will attract consequences. If you are not good at what you are doing on behalf of Nigerians, nobody will save you.

“As you can see, the message is being well received and this is because Nigerians are tired of pain and suffering. The time has come for us to say ‘enough is enough’ and the time is now,” Oyegun added.

Oyegun said the economic situation would make the cost of living and energy prices decisive issues in the 2027 campaign.

He expressed confidence that Atiku’s experience as a former vice president would give him an advantage in the presidential contest, arguing that Nigerians would ultimately judge the competing political parties by their ability to offer practical solutions to the economic difficulties facing households and businesses.

However, the Tinubu administration has maintained that removing the subsidy was necessary to free up government resources for infrastructure and other development programmes.

The Federal Government has also introduced measures intended to cushion the effects of the policy, including interventions in public transportation and the promotion of compressed natural gas-powered vehicles as an alternative to petrol and diesel.

The administration has argued that the long-term benefits of the reforms would include improved investment, reduced dependence on imported petroleum products and a more sustainable fiscal position.