Tinubu, APC could have lost if Buhari had announced fuel subsidy removal – Garba Shehu

Ex-President Muhammadu Buhari could not order removal of petrol subsidy so as not cost his party, the All Progressives Congress and its presidential candidate candidate, Bola Tinubu, from winning the February 25 2023 election.

Buhari’s spokesperson, Garba Shehu, said this in a statement on Monday evening,

He said even though Petroleum Industry Act gave the President the power to remove the subsidy, taking such an action close to the general election could have been detrimental to the ruling party, APC.

Although the Buhari administration did not remove the subsidy on petrol, it only made provision for subsidy in the 2023 budget until June 30.

Shehu said, “The Buhari administration in its last days could not have gone the whole way because the APC had an election to win. And that would have been the case with any political party that was seeking election for another term with a new principal at its head.

“Poll after poll showed that the party would have been thrown out of office if the decision as envisaged by the new Petroleum Industry Act was made.” Shehu wrote came in defence of his principal following criticisms that greeted Tinubu’s prompt removal of petrol subsidy.

Tinubu announced the removal during his inaugural speech on 29 May, leading to the increase in petrol prices from about N200 to over N500.

The government and many analysts have defended the subsidy removal saying the country lacks the resources to continue to do shoulder it amidst dwindling economic fortunes.

Nigeria spent over N4 trillion subsidizing petrol in 2022.

But critics say the removal of petrol subsidy has further impoverished Nigerians, raising the price of goods and services, in a country where about half of the population lives in poverty.

In his Monday statement, Shehu also said the decision to remove subsidy by the immediate past administration was “cued and put on a hold” for a better time.

“Removing subsidies for the Naira and PMS was cued and put on hold. Look for example in the Petroleum Industry Act. The important decision was kept for a better time,” he said.

The former presidential spokesperson noted that the decision to remove fuel subsidy could not have come at a time when tensions were high in the country.

“No responsible leader would have added fuel to the fire,” he said.

Shehu said the Buhari administration believed in the removal of subsidies and had done so in other areas such as subsidy on fertiliser.

“That’s why it’s important to remind ourselves – and all those who have conveniently forgotten – that the Buhari administration had been on this pathway from the very beginning in 2015,” he said.