Former Delta State Commissioner for Oil and Gas Producing Areas, Sir Kenny Okolugbo, has criticised African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar over his promise to restore fuel subsidy if elected president in 2027.
Atiku’s position has triggered debate, with members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) accusing the former vice president of seeking to return the country to the era of subsidy-related corruption.
Reacting in a video shared on his official X account on Wednesday, Okolugbo described Atiku’s promise as politically motivated and alleged that it was aimed at winning votes ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
He also questioned Atiku’s change in position, recalling that the former vice president had reportedly advocated the removal of fuel subsidy in 2022.
“I’m tired of this debate on fuel subsidy. Atiku, you cannot bring back fuel subsidy; you are only doing this because you want to win the 2027 election by all means,” Okolugbo said.
He further argued that Atiku had no clear pathway to victory in the 2027 election, noting that his current position appeared inconsistent with his previous stance.
According to Okolugbo, restoring the subsidy could reverse economic gains and return Nigeria to what he described as the “dark old days” of excessive government spending and mounting salary obligations.
“Of course, we want the economy to do a lot better than it is now, but you cannot bring back subsidy and take us back to the dark old days when we were printing N30 trillion yet not able to pay salaries,” he said.
Okolugbo also suggested that political power should remain in the South for the time being, adding that the North could have its turn in a subsequent election cycle.
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