Atiku to Tinubu: Take My Fuel-Price Idea, Rename It, Take the Credit

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has challenged President Bola Tinubu to adopt his proposal for reducing petrol prices, saying the President can rename the idea and take the political credit if it helps Nigerians pay less at the pump.

Atiku made the offer during a press conference in Abuja, where he called for government intervention to reduce the pressure created by high energy and transport costs.

He said Nigerians had lived with the consequences of petrol subsidy removal since 2023, arguing that the effect had spread from filling stations to transport fares, food prices, businesses and household budgets.

According to Atiku, the issue should not be reduced to a dispute over who owns a particular policy idea. He said if an intervention could lower petrol prices, the government should implement it regardless of who first proposed it.

“Bola Tinubu should not be ashamed to do what is necessary to lower the price of petrol simply because Atiku Abubakar proposed a government intervention,” he said. “He should just take the idea. Rename it if he wishes, and even take the credit. What matters to me is that Nigerians pay less.”

Atiku’s argument

The ADC presidential candidate said the high cost of petrol has consequences throughout the economy.

In his account, higher fuel prices increase transport costs, which then affect the cost of moving farm produce, stocking shops, getting to work and running businesses.

He also questioned the government’s emphasis on GDP growth, higher revenue and larger allocations, saying the more immediate measure for households is purchasing power.

“Government celebrates GDP growth, higher revenues and bigger allocations. But Nigerians judge the economy by what their money can buy,” he said.

Atiku also criticised the continued reliance on palliatives. He argued that temporary assistance cannot substitute for policies that address the underlying cost of production and living.

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“Palliatives manage pain. Good policy addresses the source of the pain,” he said.

Warning over electricity

Atiku extended the argument to electricity, warning against what he described as a repeat of the petrol subsidy experience when electricity subsidies are phased out from 2027. He said households and businesses already face high electricity costs, while manufacturers spend heavily on power, diesel and alternative energy sources.

He urged the government to consider the impact of any further increase on production and household expenses.

Atiku said Tinubu had approximately eight months remaining in his current tenure and urged him to use that period to provide economic relief.

APC response

The argument has already drawn a response from the ruling All Progressives Congress. APC National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka said Atiku had not presented what he considered a clear alternative to the Tinubu administration’s economic policies.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Morka said Atiku should tell Nigerians what he would do differently rather than simply asking the President to adopt his proposals.

The exchange therefore places petrol prices and the broader cost-of-living crisis firmly back at the centre of the political debate ahead of 2027.

Atiku is arguing for government intervention to reduce the immediate burden on consumers, while the APC is questioning the substance and detail of his alternative policy framework.

ValidViewNetwork reports that the debate is ultimately about more than the ownership of an idea. It is about who pays for fuel, who bears the cost of economic reforms and what policy each political camp proposes to make Nigerians’ incomes go further.