Tinubu Would Have Lost Election If I Removed Fuel Subsidy" ― Ex Pre. Buhari Opens Up
The immediate past president of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, on Monday revealed why he left his successor, Bola Tinubu to remove fuel subsidy.
He said that had the policy been implemented; the All
Progressives Congress and Tinubu would have lost the last general polls.
Buhari’s former aide, Garba Shehu, via a statement, said the ex-president
commended the steps taken so far by the new administration in implementing the
removal of petrol subsidy and attempt to unify the Naira exchange rate.
The statement, according to Shehu, was in response to persistent queries by
some critics who have questioned why it took Tinubu only weeks to remove the
petrol subsidy whereas Buhari didn’t do so for several years.
According to him, successive polls indicated that the ruling
party would have lost the 2023 election if the Petroleum Industry Act,
containing the petrol subsidy removal, was implemented before then.
In the statement titled “Buhari didn’t fail to remove subsidy “,
Shehu wrote: “Why did it take the new Tinubu/ Shettima presidency weeks to
remove the petrol subsidy when Buhari didn’t do so for years and failed to ask
the right question.
Quote
“The massive electricity subsidy. The fraudulent
fertilizer subsidy. Hajj/Christian Pilgrim subsidies. Remember them?
“The diesel subsidy. The aviation fuel subsidy. LPFO. Kerosene. Cooking gas and
the other subsidy policies we found in place and put them firmly on the ground.
Remember them?
“For those with short memories, many of those subsidies
were all in place when President Buhari was elected to office in 2015: all
those in place were gone by May 2023 – including the annual fertilizer subsidy
that weighed 60-100 billion Naira (that’s trillion naira in about 10 years –
yes you read that right) heavy on the federal budget each year.
“So no, Buhari didn’t remove the petrol subsidy – but in vitally important
stages he removed every other budget-busting, egregious,
economic-growth-crushing subsidy along the way.
“So far I have refrained from answering these repeated questions on the removal
in Nigeria of subsidies on Premium Motor Spirit, PMS and that arising from the
dual rates of the Naira in the Central Bank and the parallel market: Why did
Buhari ‘fail’ to do these?
“First of all, my thinking is that instead of the former
President answering this question, it is the Party, the All Progressives Congress,
APC that is best suited to speak and failing to do this, we are forced to say
what will follow here.
“Secondly, we are mindful of the fact that with a Tinubu/Shettima presidency
now in place and for which there is a ‘New Sheriff in Town’.
“We do not want to distract them from the onerous tasks facing them and the
nation. Neither is it our wish to take the spotlight away from them in any way.
“In terms of the timing of the decisions to remove fuel subsidies and unify the
currency, the Tinubu/Shettima administration has done overwhelmingly well. Even
more importantly, they have been most dexterous in managing the aftermath of
the decisions by successfully avoiding any crisis.
“To this extent, our wish and prayers are that fellow
countrymen will continue to support the new leadership in these very laudable
decisions and, in particular, for the Labour leadership and civil society to
work with them to ensure that the palliative efforts as promised are
successfully implemented.
“The decision to remove subsidies, as in our case – and we believe in all
situations – was not for the President to take all by himself.
“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.
“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.
“It could not have come at a time when tensions were high
in the country and no responsible leader would have added fuel to the fire.
“In the view of many-including those in the security circles- only a new
administration with a goodwill that fills a warehouse can attempt this, and
here now comes in the wit and grit of the Tinubu government.
“Finally, we must be politically honest with ourselves. 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.
“As they say, there are times when you have to lose in order to win.”
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