The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC-PCC) has called on the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, to clarify the legal, fiscal, and operational frameworks supporting his proposed “production subsidy” for locally refined petroleum products.
​The demand was contained in an official press statement released on Sunday, September 20, 2026, in Abuja, signed by the APC-PCC Spokesman, Dele Alake.
​The APC-PCC statement came in response to comments made by Atiku during a press conference in Abuja on Friday, September 18, 2026. At the briefing, the ADC candidate urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately reduce pump prices for petrol and diesel, proposing that the government implement a transparent production subsidy exclusively for locally refined crude to ease economic hardship on Nigerians.
​Addressing the proposal, Alake asserted that Atiku’s plan presents significant regulatory and legal hurdles under Section 205(1) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, which mandates that wholesale and retail prices of petroleum products must be determined strictly by unrestricted free-market conditions.
​”Until he provides a detailed policy document and an independent legal and fiscal analysis, his production-subsidy plan remains an uncosted promise without a clearly identified legal or operational framework,” Alake said in the statement issued from the campaign headquarters.
​The campaign council raised several critical issues regarding the fiscal viability of Atiku’s proposal. According to the APC-PCC, estimates based on domestic refinery throughput indicate that such a subsidy scheme could cost between ₦17 trillion and ₦21 trillion annually, depending on the volume covered and the rate of support.
The council urged Atiku to disclose the proposed funding sources, statutory amendments required, and whether participating private refineries would be subjected to administrative price caps.
Alake questioned Atiku’s shifting stance, citing his previous commitment at the Lagos Business School in November 2022 to completely dismantle fuel subsidies, alongside a statement posted on his X account on August 25, 2026, declaring he would “restore it.”
​The council contrasted the ADC candidate’s proposal with the current administration’s ongoing energy initiatives, emphasizing that President Tinubu’s strategy focuses on CNG conversions, electric mass transit rollout, and expanded domestic refining capacity to permanently bring down transportation costs within a deregulated market framework.
​As of Sunday evening, neither Atiku Abubakar nor the ADC Presidential Campaign Organisation has issued a formal response to the APC-PCC’s queries.
