Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communication, has criticised the African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, accusing him of hypocrisy over his recent position on fuel subsidy removal.
Dare also expressed confidence that what he described as Atiku’s desperation would not succeed in the 2027 presidential election.
In a post on X, the presidential spokesman argued that effective leadership requires the courage to defend difficult but important reforms rather than making popular promises simply to win votes.
“True leadership requires the courage to defend difficult, foundational reforms even when the political weather is rough, rather than pandering to populist illusions for ballot-box validation.
“Atiku’s hypocrisy is an insult to the collective intelligence of a resilient populace navigating global economic headwinds.
“By the Grace of God, this desperate gambit will fail, and all citizens of conscience must rise up to soundly repudiate this political innuendo,” Dare wrote.
The exchange comes amid a growing war of words between Atiku and the Tinubu administration over the removal of fuel subsidy.
Tinubu, who contested the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, defeated Atiku in the poll.
During his inauguration at Eagle Square in Abuja, Tinubu announced the end of Nigeria’s fuel subsidy regime.
However, as political activities ahead of the 2027 presidential election gather momentum, Atiku has pledged to reverse the subsidy removal if elected.
Dare’s comments represent the latest response from the Presidency as the disagreement over the economic policy continues to fuel political exchanges between the two camps.
BACKSTORY:
The latest exchange is part of the growing political battle between President Bola Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Atiku and the Tinubu administration have recently disagreed over the removal of Nigeria’s fuel subsidy, a policy President Tinubu announced during his inauguration in May 2023. The decision led to a sharp increase in petrol prices and has remained one of the most debated economic policies of the Tinubu administration.
As preparations for the 2027 election gather momentum, Atiku has criticised the economic hardship associated with the policy and promised to restore the fuel subsidy if elected president.
The Presidency, however, has defended the subsidy removal as a difficult but necessary economic reform. Sunday Dare’s latest comments therefore represent another escalation in the war of words between both camps as political activities ahead of the 2027 election continue to intensify.
