Atiku Abubakar Accuses Tinubu Administration of Secretly Diverting Funds Through Petrol Subsidy

Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, has alleged that the Bola Tinubu administration is diverting public funds through a clandestine petrol subsidy scheme. Atiku’s claims come in response to a recent statement from the presidency.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the former Vice President criticized the government’s lack of transparency regarding the expenditure on petrol subsidies. He asserted that the secretive handling of subsidies is a key factor deterring investments in Nigeria’s oil sector.

“Tinubu has brought the shady nature of running Lagos to the federal level. He claims subsidy is gone but his Special Adviser on Energy, Olu Verheijen, says they are intervening from time to time while his Finance Minister, Wale Edun, described subsidy removal as an ‘ongoing process’. A document authored by the Coordinating Minister of the Economy revealing how much subsidy is being paid is now being disowned by the very authors of the document,” Atiku said.

He further pointed out that both the World Bank and the IMF have reported that Nigeria continues to pay petrol subsidies, contradicting the Tinubu administration’s claims. Atiku noted that even a senior member of the ruling APC had confirmed ongoing subsidy payments.

“For a man who claims to be on a mission to attract foreign direct investment, it is ironic that he cannot see that his policy flip flops and lies are capable of dissuading investors. He must come clean on this subsidy issue since he doubles as petroleum minister. The Tinubu administration should be courageous enough to own their policies and outcome with their full chest and responsible enough to be accountable for their actions to Nigerians,” Atiku emphasized.

Atiku argued that the continued denial by the government suggests that funds intended for the Federation Account, meant to be distributed to states and local governments, are being diverted without accountability. He urged the National Assembly to investigate the matter thoroughly rather than focusing on less critical issues.

“The National Assembly needs to be alive to its responsibilities, especially in the area of oversight. Posterity will not be kind to members of the National Assembly if they continue to look the other way while daylight robbery is taking place,” Atiku concluded.

The statement was signed by Paul Ibe, Media Adviser to Atiku Abubakar, who served as Vice President of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007 and was the PDP’s Presidential Candidate in the 2023 election.