APC Rules Out Return Of Fuel Subsidy

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has ruled out a return to petrol subsidy, challenging opposition presidential candidates to explain how they would fund the policy without undermining government revenue and the payment of public obligations.

The APC National Secretary, Senator Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru, stated this in Abuja on Friday, describing the removal of the subsidy as irreversible and warning that reversing the policy could return Nigeria to a period when governments struggled to meet their financial obligations.

Basiru spoke as the APC received candidates from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) who defected to the ruling party.

“The Minister of Petroleum has said we are not going back to subsidy. It is gone and gone forever,” Basiru said.

He maintained that President Bola Tinubu’s decision to remove the petrol subsidy had eased pressure on government finances and improved the capacity of federal and state governments to meet their obligations.

The APC national secretary recalled a period when some state governments struggled to pay salaries and pensions and resorted to borrowing to meet basic obligations.

“I served as commissioner in my state. At that time, we could not pay salaries. We had to get an overdraft to pay salaries. We could not pay pensioners,” he said.

“Would somebody, because of his inordinate ambition, now want to get us back to the era where pensioners would be dying on cue, looking for what they would eat?” he asked.

Basiru also challenged opposition politicians to distinguish between fuel subsidy and price modulation, arguing that the two policies should not be treated as the same.

Speaking on behalf of the defectors, Professor Murtala Yusuf, an ADC candidate from Taraba State, pledged to mobilise two million votes for Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

Yusuf said the defectors would work to strengthen the APC’s grassroots support and boost the President’s re-election bid.

He denied that their decision to join the ruling party was motivated by financial gain, saying it was driven by a desire to promote national unity.

“We are actually 11 here, but one person is on his way, so we are 12 in number, comprising genuine and valid candidates of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) who are aspiring to represent their people in the 2027 general election.

“Among those, nine are candidates for the House of Representatives, while three are candidates for the State Houses of Assembly.

“We are not here for any financial gain. We are not here for any pecuniary interest. We are not here for any monetary consideration, but we are here for the sake of the unity of Nigeria,” he said.