{
  "id": 3449874,
  "title": "Atiku vows to restore petrol subsidy, rejects aide’s conflicting position",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/atiku-vows-to-restore-petrol-subsidy-rejects-aides-conflicting",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-26T06:44:27.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Nairametrics",
    "slug": "nairametrics",
    "url": "https://nairametrics.com/2026/08/26/atiku-vows-to-restore-petrol-subsidy-rejects-aides-conflicting-position/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has reaffirmed his commitment to restore petrol subsidy if elected president in 2027. This announcement came after conflicting statements from his media aide, Paul Ibe, who previously suggested the policy would be phased out over time. On Tuesday, Atiku clarified his stance during a meeting with the Osun State leadership of the ADC in Abuja, dismissing Ibe's comments as not reflecting his authority. The former vice president emphasized that any intervention under his administration would focus on domestic refining and production rather than simply reinstating the previous petrol import subsidy system.\n\nAtiku argued that his proposal aims to reduce living costs and enhance Nigerians' purchasing power. He explained that the intervention would help support Nigerian production, decrease energy and transportation expenses, and make wages more valuable for households. The subsidy debate has re-emerged in the 2027 presidential race, three years after President Bola Tinubu scrapped petrol subsidies upon taking office on May 29, 2023. Proponents of the policy see it as a temporary measure akin to scaffolding, designed to be dismantled once domestic market conditions allow for affordable prices without government support.\n\nShaibu, Atiku's spokesperson, detailed how the proposed intervention would function, emphasizing the goal of reducing energy and production costs while mitigating the leakages typical of the previous subsidy regime. His comments solidified the policy position as coming directly from the candidate, countering earlier contradictory statements by Ibe.",
  "summary": "Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has insisted that he will restore petrol subsidy if elected president in 2027, despite comments by one of his media aides suggesting that the intervention would eventually be phased out. The post Atiku vows to restore petrol subsidy, rejects aide’s conflicting position appeared first on Nairametrics .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}