ABUJA — Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesperson for former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s 2027 presidential campaign, has defended Atiku’s proposal to restore a petrol subsidy if elected. In comments reported on 24 August 2026, Okonkwo said the plan was designed to reduce fuel prices and make petrol more affordable.
Okonkwo dismissed criticism of the proposal and rejected comparisons with Nigeria’s previous subsidy system. He said Atiku’s plan had nothing to do with the subsidy regime of the past, although the account of his remarks did not specify how the proposed approach would differ.
The spokesperson made the comments during an appearance on Channels Television, according to Vanguard News. AllAfrica also carried Vanguard’s account. The supplied reports do not identify the specific criticisms to which Okonkwo was responding or provide responses from other political figures or government officials.
Important elements of the proposal remain unresolved in the available evidence. No subsidy rate, projected petrol price, estimated public cost, funding source or implementation timetable was provided. It is also not yet clear whether the campaign envisages a universal subsidy or a more limited arrangement.
Okonkwo’s remarks therefore establish the campaign’s stated objective — lowering petrol prices — but do not provide enough detail to assess how the policy would operate or how it would avoid the features of the earlier system from which he sought to distinguish it.