The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, has criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s proposal to reverse the removal of petrol subsidy, warning that political desperation must not endanger Nigeria’s economy.
Yilwatda described the proposal as a troubling policy U-turn, questioning the opposition’s preparedness to govern and insisting that Nigerians deserve clear economic alternatives rather than election-season promises.
Speaking during a visit to the headquarters of the City Boy Movement in Abuja, Yilwatda said any plan to restore petrol subsidy must be subjected to rigorous scrutiny because of the huge fiscal burden the policy previously placed on government finances.
He argued that the opposition had more than three years to present Nigerians with a comprehensive and convincing alternative economic agenda but had failed to do so.
Yilwatda said the timing of Atiku’s proposal, coming months before the 2027 general election, raised concerns that a difficult economic policy could be reversed for political gain.
“Economic policy cannot be reduced to election-season promises. Nigerians deserve to know precisely where the money will come from, what sectors will bear the cost and whether such a policy can be sustained without reopening the fiscal pressures that necessitated reform in the first place,” he said.
The APC chairman maintained that subsidy removal was a difficult but necessary decision, while acknowledging the need for measures to cushion its impact, strengthen social interventions and boost productive sectors of the economy.
He urged Nigerians to scrutinise the economic programmes of all presidential contenders ahead of the 2027 election and distinguish between credible solutions to structural problems and promises aimed at securing short-term political support.
Yilwatda also warned that reversing economic reforms without a credible alternative could undermine investor confidence, worsen fiscal pressures and threaten efforts to reposition the Nigerian economy.
He said the 2027 election should be a contest of ideas, competence and credible policy alternatives rather than a competition over attractive promises.
Yilwatda reiterated that the APC would continue to defend policies aimed at building a more productive, investment-friendly and economically sustainable Nigeria while remaining open to constructive criticism and credible alternatives.
