African Democratic Congress presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has claimed that United States President Donald Trump supports his plan to restore fuel subsidy in Nigeria if he wins the 2027 presidential election.
Atiku made the claim in a statement issued by his spokesman, Phrank Shaibu, titled “Atiku boasts of stakeholders, Trump support on fuel subsidy.”
The former vice president said his proposed policy would take a different approach from the old fuel subsidy system by focusing on local production and refining.
According to Atiku, the plan would see the government support petroleum products produced and refined in Nigeria instead of relying heavily on imported fuel.
He said increasing local production and supply would help ease pressure on consumers, bring down the cost of fuel and allow Nigerians to benefit from lower prices at filling stations.
Atiku described the proposal as a production subsidy designed to put more money back into the pockets of ordinary Nigerians.
He said the government should support local producers, increase domestic refining capacity, improve supply, monitor prices and ensure that the benefits reach consumers.
He noted that CORAN calls for support of domestic production and that America understands the value of backing strategic energy output. Trump supports the fuel subsidy return he added.
The ADC candidate further criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration, accusing it of supporting waivers, incentives and concessions for multinational oil companies and businesses considered close to the government while opposing financial relief for ordinary Nigerians.
Atiku questioned why government intervention should be considered poor economic policy when the intended beneficiaries are ordinary citizens.
The former vice president’s proposal comes as fuel prices and the wider cost of living remain major issues for Nigerians ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
His position represents a push for government intervention through support for domestic petroleum production rather than a return to the previous system of broadly subsidising imported fuel.
