The All Progressives Congress has dismissed calls by the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, for President Bola Tinubu to bring down petrol prices, insisting the former Vice President has yet to offer Nigerians a workable alternative to the policies of the current administration.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, made the remarks on Friday while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today. He was reacting to a press conference Atiku held in Abuja earlier that day, where the ADC candidate urged the Federal Government to act on the combined weight of high energy, transportation and food costs. Atiku also told Tinubu he should not feel ashamed to adopt an idea simply because it came from him.

Morka was unimpressed. He noted that Atiku is the candidate of a political party seeking the highest office in the land, and argued that such a person should be spelling out what he plans to do for Nigerians rather than appealing to the President to listen to him. In his words, Atiku was “simply just pulling his own political stunts.” He added that Atiku had not managed to articulate any sensible proposal that could stand as an alternative to what the government has implemented or is implementing.

The APC spokesman also revisited the fuel subsidy debate. According to him, Atiku backed the removal of the petrol subsidy during the 2023 presidential campaign, only to turn around and criticise the policy once the Tinubu administration put it into effect.

At his briefing, Atiku had also raised concerns about the planned phase out of electricity subsidies from 2027, arguing that households, small businesses and manufacturers were already struggling with the cost of power, diesel and alternative energy. He said the experience with petrol subsidy removal should not be repeated in the power sector. Morka countered that Atiku had the chance to fix the challenges in the power sector during his years as Vice President and failed to do so, questioning why he was now promising measures he could not deliver when he held office.

The exchange is the latest in a sharpening war of words between the ruling party and the opposition as political activity builds ahead of the 2027 general elections.