Atiku cites survey, demands Tinubu review petrol pricing policy

Former Vice-President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has urged President Bola Tinubu to reconsider the Federal Government’s petrol pricing policy, citing widespread opposition to the policy in a new SBM Intelligence survey.

Atiku made the call in a statement issued on Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.

He cited the survey as showing that 67.4 per cent of respondents rejected the current petrol pricing policy, while 19.2 per cent supported it. The SBM Intelligence survey covered 1,103 eligible voters across 12 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

Atiku said the findings should prompt the government to reconsider its approach to petrol pricing and the wider economic consequences of the policy.

“This survey is no longer merely about economic policy. It has become a democratic question,” he said.

“When an overwhelming majority of Nigerians declare that a government policy is destroying their lives, responsible leadership must listen.”

According to the former vice-president, petrol emerged as the second-most cited national problem in the survey, accounting for 18.2 per cent of responses.

He added that the issue received the lowest performance rating among the administration’s policy areas tested, scoring 1.69 out of four.

Atiku said the findings reflected the difficulties confronting families, workers, farmers and businesses as fuel and transportation costs remain high.

“This survey is not merely about percentages. It is the collective cry of Nigerian families who can no longer afford food, workers whose salaries disappear on transportation, farmers who cannot move their produce to market and businesses collapsing under the weight of fuel and energy costs,” he said.

He further claimed that Nigerians had experienced increased transportation costs, higher food prices and reduced purchasing power since the removal of the petrol subsidy.

“The survey simply confirms what Nigerians already know: Tinubu’s fuel policy has caused far more harm than good,” Atiku stated.

Petrol concerns higher in rural areas

Atiku also drew attention to regional and settlement differences in the survey.

He said 32.4 per cent of rural respondents identified petrol as their primary concern, compared with 11.7 per cent of urban respondents.

The South-West recorded the highest regional concern over petrol at 30.5 per cent, followed by the South-South at 29.1 per cent.

Atiku said the figures demonstrated that fuel prices had become a major concern across different parts of the country.

“President Tinubu removed subsidy with a slogan, not a strategy,” he said.

“He had no credible plan for domestic refining, mass transportation, wage protection or the millions of small businesses that depend on affordable energy.”

The former vice-president said his proposed alternative would involve a production subsidy specifically for petroleum products refined in Nigeria.

“If elected, from May 29, 2027, I will introduce a transparent production subsidy for petroleum products refined in Nigeria and sold to Nigerians. Imports will not qualify,” he said.

He added that the proposed scheme would have a fixed spending limit, National Assembly approval and independent audits.

According to Atiku, the proposal is intended to reduce petrol prices, strengthen domestic refining, create jobs and improve Nigerians’ purchasing power.

The Tinubu administration has maintained its position on petrol subsidy reforms, while the Presidency has questioned the legal, fiscal and practical basis of Atiku’s proposed production subsidy. The Presidency cited provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act relating to market-determined petrol prices.

SBM Intelligence, meanwhile, cautioned that its survey represents a snapshot of stated sentiment among respondents and does not account for historical turnout, population projections or INEC voter-registration figures.