Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has labelled former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, a “voodoo economist” over his changing position on fuel subsidy.
Speaking on Thursday during an inspection of infrastructure projects in Abuja, Wike recalled that Atiku had pledged in 2022 to remove fuel subsidy within his first 100 days in office, describing the policy as fraudulent. “Now, in 2026, he says he was not going to remove the fuel subsidy. Is he going back to the fraud which he alleged that fuel subsidy was?” Wike queried.
In a Hausa language interview on Wednesday, Atiku said he did not initially oppose the subsidy removal but demanded accountability for the savings. “I did not oppose the removal of the oil subsidy, but where is the money? Where did it go? It was intended to reduce poverty and help children attend school. Where is the money now? It seems they are just stealing it,” Atiku said. He pledged to restore the subsidy if elected in 2027 and recover misappropriated funds.
Wike dismissed the proposal as impractical, arguing that the Petroleum Industry Act had commercialised NNPC Limited, while private refineries like Dangote Refinery had changed the downstream sector. “Is he going to give fuel subsidy in the Dangote Refinery? The fuel produced by Dangote Refinery, it’s not going to be possible. Tell people the simple truth,” Wike said.
He further declared that President Bola Tinubu remains the only leading candidate for 2027, insisting that “2027 is gone” because the opposition lacks unity.