The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, has warned Nigerians against proposals to reverse the removal of petrol subsidy for political gains ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Yilwatda said reversing the subsidy removal without a credible and sustainable alternative could reopen the fiscal pressures and economic distortions that necessitated the reform.
According to an official statement signed by Abimbola Tooki, Special Adviser to the APC National Chairman on Media and Information Strategy, Yilwatda made the remarks during a visit to the headquarters of the City Boy Movement in Abuja, where he inspected the organisation’s facilities and interacted with its leadership.
The APC chairman was reacting to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s proposal to reverse the removal of petrol subsidy, which he described as a troubling policy shift coming only months before the 2027 elections.
Yilwatda questioned the sustainability of returning to a subsidy regime, arguing that Nigerians deserved to know how such a policy would be funded and what impact it would have on government finances and other sectors of the economy.
“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.
He maintained that the removal of subsidy was a difficult but necessary decision, stressing that the focus should instead be on measures to cushion its impact on citizens, expand social interventions and strengthen productive sectors of the economy.
Yilwatda said the real test of leadership was the willingness to take difficult decisions and explain them honestly to Nigerians, rather than offering policies designed primarily to secure electoral advantage.
He urged Nigerians to scrutinise the economic programmes of presidential candidates ahead of the 2027 elections and distinguish between policies capable of addressing the country’s structural challenges and promises that could create additional fiscal difficulties in the long term.
The APC chairman also defended the economic policies of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria, saying the government was implementing measures aimed at repositioning the economy, attracting investment, strengthening domestic production and reducing dependence on unsustainable government interventions.
He warned that reversing economic reforms without a credible alternative could undermine investor confidence and jeopardise efforts to build a more sustainable economy.
Yilwatda further described the 2027 election as an opportunity for Nigerians to assess competing visions, policy proposals and the records of those seeking to govern the country.
He said the election should be a contest of ideas, competence and credible alternatives rather than a competition over who could make the most attractive promises at the last minute.
The APC national chairman reiterated the party’s commitment to policies aimed at building a more productive, investment-friendly and economically sustainable Nigeria, while remaining open to constructive criticism and credible alternatives.
