The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has declared that Nigerians are too poor to be left entirely to market forces, promising to subsidise crude oil production to make fuel more affordable if the party wins the 2027 presidential election.
The party’s spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, stated this on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, while explaining the ADC’s position on fuel subsidy. He said the party’s presidential candidate, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, believes the government must intervene to ease the burden of high fuel prices on citizens.
“The most important point is that, the ADC and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar are saying that Nigerians are too poor to be left to market forces. We cannot have people so poor and leave them without subsidy. So, we (ADC) are going to subsidise production,” Abdullahi said.
Explaining the proposed approach, the ADC spokesperson argued that Nigeria’s status as a crude oil-producing country provides an opportunity for the government to reduce production costs and make petroleum products more affordable.
“You can ask us, where would the crude oil come from? We are an oil producing country. Whatever we need to do to subsidise the production of crude and deliver cheaper fuel to Nigerians, we are going to do it,” he stated.
Abdullahi also used the example of a country facing war to explain why the party believes the government should prioritise citizens’ welfare over market considerations. He argued that protecting the population should remain central to government decisions, particularly when people are struggling with economic hardship.
“When your country is at war, you do not begin to talk about the price of guns and the price of bullets, you defend your country by all means necessary so ADC and Atiku Abubakar are saying, we will defend the people by all means necessary,” he added.
The ADC spokesperson further maintained that government policies should be reviewed whenever they fail to improve the living conditions, safety and welfare of citizens.
“Anything that you do as a government, any policy option that you choose as a government that does not improve the well-being and the security, and the welfare of the people, has to be reconsidered,” Abdullahi said.
The party’s position signals its intention to make fuel affordability and government intervention key issues in its economic agenda ahead of the 2027 general election.
