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Sunday Dare, Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication to President Bola Tinubu, has accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of “hypocrisy and deceit” over his pledge to restore fuel subsidy if elected in 2027.
Dare, who also serves as the President’s spokesman, said in a post on X on Thursday that Atiku’s proposal was an “unpardonable manipulation of the public psyche.”
“Your pronouncement that you will bring back fuel subsidy is drenched in hypocrisy and deceit. It is an unpardonable manipulation of the public psyche, designed to hoodwink unsuspecting Nigerians into voting for you,” Dare wrote.
He added: “The ongoing recovery across various sectors of our national life annoys you, and will be halted if this thinking of yours is implemented. By the Grace of God, it will not happen and all good men of conscience must rise up against you.”
Atiku Abubakar: Your pronouncement that you will bring back fuel subsidy is drenched in hypocrisy and deceit. It is an unpardonable manipulation of the public psyche, designed to hoodwink unsuspecting Nigerians into voting for you.
The ongoing recovery across various sectors of…
— Sunday Dare,CON (@SundayDareSD) August 20, 2026
Atiku, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, made the pledge during a Facebook Live session, arguing that Nigerians had not seen sufficient benefits from the subsidy removal.
“If I win the presidential election, I will restore the subsidy. And anyone who stole Nigeria’s subsidy funds must return the money,” Atiku said.
He questioned where the savings from subsidy removal had gone, asking whether the funds had been used to improve healthcare, education or security.
The presidency has previously described Atiku’s proposal as retrogressive and a demonstration of “serious ignorance on governance and economy.”
President Tinubu himself said on Thursday that 27 states were unable to pay workers’ salaries before his administration removed fuel subsidy.
