Atiku, Tinubu Clash Deepens as 2027 Race Shifts to Subsidy and Power Spending

The political battle between former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and President Bola Tinubu has taken a sharper turn, with the two camps now trading arguments over petrol subsidy, government revenues and the long-running controversy surrounding billions of dollars spent on power projects.

Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, challenged the Federal Government to investigate him and take him to court if it has evidence linking him to alleged wrongdoing over the approximately $16bn power expenditure associated with the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Atiku said the issue had been raised repeatedly over the years without him being prosecuted, despite different governments having access to the country’s investigative agencies.

He said he was prepared to answer questions about the matter, insisting that if there was evidence against him, the government should present it instead of using old allegations for political purposes.

The former Vice President also explained that although he chaired the National Council on Privatisation while serving under Obasanjo, he said he did not supervise the implementation of the disputed power projects and had disagreed with the concept of some of the projects.

The power controversy dates back to the Obasanjo administration, when large sums were committed to efforts to improve Nigeria’s electricity supply. The issue later became the subject of investigations by the National Assembly and other government bodies after Obasanjo left office in 2007.

But Atiku has now linked the renewed debate to a bigger question — what the Tinubu administration has done with the money saved since petrol subsidy was removed in 2023.

He argued that Nigerians have faced higher petrol prices, transport fares and food costs since the subsidy was removed, while government revenue has increased.

Atiku therefore demanded greater transparency over the use of the additional revenue, repeatedly asking the government to explain where the money saved from subsidy removal had gone.

The Presidency, however, has rejected Atiku’s position and accused him of changing his stance on petrol subsidy.

Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga said Atiku and his aides had given different explanations within one week about whether a future Atiku government would restore subsidy, describing the situation as a policy contradiction.

Onanuga challenged Atiku to explain exactly what he means by “targeted subsidy,” including who would benefit, how much it would cost, how it would be funded and when the policy would eventually end.

The Presidency also argued that the cost of living cannot be blamed on petrol prices alone, pointing to factors including exchange rates, insecurity, logistics, flooding and agricultural costs.

The disagreement has now become an important part of the early 2027 presidential contest, with economic policy increasingly becoming a major weapon for both the opposition and the ruling party.

Atiku has presented subsidy removal and accountability as major issues in his criticism of Tinubu, while the Presidency maintains that the reform was necessary because the previous subsidy system placed an unsustainable burden on public finances.

The All Progressives Congress has also challenged Atiku to take his allegations to court if he has evidence to support claims that those currently in power stole public resources.

Meanwhile, the National Association of Nigerian Students criticised Atiku’s proposal to restore fuel subsidy, arguing that returning to the old system without fixing the problems that made it unsustainable would only recreate the same challenges.

With the 2027 election approaching, the dispute is gradually moving beyond personalities and into a battle over who can convince Nigerians that their economic policies will deliver relief, accountability and better management of public money.

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