…Accord Presidential Candidate Says Former Vice President Owes Nigerians an Explanation
Presidential candidate of the Accord Party, Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has challenged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to explain his reported change of position on fuel subsidy removal, describing Atiku as the “father of subsidy removal” in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic.
Hashim said there was nothing wrong with a politician changing his position when circumstances or evidence changed, but insisted that such a reversal should be accompanied by honesty and accountability.
The Accord candidate restated his opposition to the removal of petroleum subsidy during an interview with Trust TV last week, where he advocated the restoration of subsidy on petroleum products and other strategically important commodities.
He argued that a properly designed subsidy regime could protect households and productive sectors from severe economic shocks while helping to reduce pressure on consumers and businesses.
Hashim’s comments came amid renewed debate over the positions of politicians who supported subsidy removal during the 2023 presidential election but have since expressed different views on the policy.
“Some candidates who campaigned in the last election to remove subsidy are now reversing themselves without even regretting their earlier display of ignorance and lack of compassion for the people,” he said.
Hashim specifically criticised Atiku over what he described as a reversal without accountability.
He said politicians should tell Nigerians why they had changed their minds instead of acting as though they had never supported the policies they previously promoted.
“Atiku’s recant on subsidy removal without an apology is dishonesty. If you change your position because circumstances or evidence have changed, tell Nigerians why you changed. There is nothing wrong with changing your mind. What is wrong is pretending that you never held the position in the first place,” Hashim said.
He claimed that Atiku Abubakar, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Peter Obi campaigned on subsidy removal during the 2023 presidential election, while he, Omoyele Sowore and Prince Adewole Adebayo opposed the policy.
Hashim maintained that his opposition to subsidy removal was not a position adopted for electoral advantage.
The Accord candidate traced his opposition to subsidy removal to the early years of the Olusegun Obasanjo administration, when Atiku served as Vice President.
Hashim recalled that the administration increased petroleum product prices and removed subsidy, a decision he said he and other PDP officials publicly opposed.
He listed Iro Dan Musa, then PDP Deputy National Chairman; Harry Marshall, National Vice Chairman, South South; Abubakar Magaji, National Vice Chairman, North Central; and Emmanuel Ibeshi, National Publicity Secretary, as among those who joined him in publicly condemning the policy.
According to Hashim, the group addressed a press conference against the increase in petroleum prices and subsidy removal, while the National Assembly also passed resolutions opposing the policy.
He said the executive subsequently reversed its decision.
“We opposed subsidy removal when it was politically inconvenient to do so. We did not suddenly discover the suffering of Nigerians because another election is approaching,” Hashim said.
He argued that the episode was evidence that his opposition to subsidy removal was rooted in principle rather than electoral calculations.
Hashim said the current debate should move beyond the argument that every subsidy is wasteful.
Instead, he advocated a targeted and transparent subsidy regime for petroleum products and other strategic commodities where sudden price increases could have wider consequences for the Nigerian economy.
“Our position is simple: restore subsidy on petroleum products and other strategic products where necessary, but do it intelligently. Subsidy should be targeted at protecting the Nigerian economy and Nigerian people, not at enriching intermediaries,” he said.
He proposed that any future subsidy system should have clear eligibility criteria, publicly disclosed fiscal costs, identifiable beneficiaries and measurable economic objectives.
He also called for regular assessments to determine whether subsidy interventions were delivering the intended economic benefits.
According to Hashim, stronger domestic production should be at the heart of any sustainable subsidy policy.
He said subsidy should serve as a bridge towards increased local productive capacity rather than become a permanent justification for dependence on imports.
Hashim also criticised sections of the media for what he described as inadequate scrutiny of politicians who change their positions on major economic policies.
He alleged that politicians with greater access to media platforms sometimes adopt ideas previously promoted by less powerful political actors and subsequently receive greater public attention for them.
“They lack originality and their fans in the media never take them to task. Instead, they promote these corrupt and dishonest politicians as major candidates,” he said.
He said the 2027 presidential election should be driven by competing ideas, credible economic programmes and practical solutions rather than political imitation.
“Nigeria needs originality, courage and compassion in leadership. We cannot continue recycling people because they have the biggest megaphone,” Hashim said.
He urged Nigerians to examine the records of political actors, including who first proposed particular policies, who stood by them when they were unpopular and who has a credible plan to rebuild the economy.
Hashim reaffirmed his commitment to an economic programme focused on affordable energy, strategic market repositioning, stronger domestic productive capacity, industrialisation, job creation, improved purchasing power and targeted government intervention in critical sectors.
“The Nigerian people are not laboratory animals for politicians to experiment on and then return to them during election season with a new script,” he said.
Hashim called for greater honesty about past policy decisions, arguing that Nigeria must learn from its economic mistakes and develop a more sustainable path towards growth and prosperity.
