Ex-President Muhammadu Buhari failed to remove subsidy on petrol as directed in the Petroleum Industry Act because, among other reasons, doing so would have cost his party the 2023 general elections, an aide has said.
Mr Buhari’s spokesperson, Garba Shehu, in a statement on Monday, said taking such an action close to the general election could have been detrimental to the ruling party, APC.
“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,” Mr Shehu wrote in a statement defending his principal from criticisms following the prompt removal of petrol subsidy by Mr Buhari’s successor, Bola Tinubu.
Mr Tinubu announced the…