Atiku highlights struggles in Sokoto as Sanusi praises Tinubu for economic recovery

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has said the crowd at Atiku Abubakar’s presidential campaign launch in Sokoto on Wednesday shows that Nigerians reject the economic hardship they are facing. Meanwhile, the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has credited President Bola Tinubu for stabilizing the economy.

Speaking at an Oxford conference on Tuesday, Mr. Sanusi praised improvements in economic growth, inflation, and foreign reserves but noted that Nigeria still has serious challenges.

His comments, shared on Wednesday by presidential spokesperson Sunday Dare, came as Atiku’s campaign focused on the high cost of food, fuel, and transport as key issues in the 2027 presidential election.

ADC celebrates Sokoto turnout

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the ADC Presidential Campaign Council said people gathered along the route from Sultan Muhammad III International Airport to the party’s state secretariat to welcome Atiku. This delayed his motorcade for three and a half hours.

The council stated that business activities stopped in some parts of Sokoto as residents joined the procession. They described the turnout as spontaneous and dismissed claims that participants were paid to attend.

“When you have a message that connects with the people, you do not need to rent a crowd. The people show up on their own,” said Phrank Shaibu, the council’s director of strategic communication.

The campaign’s claims about the motorcade’s duration and the halt of business activities have not been confirmed by independent sources. Sokoto is run by the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Wednesday’s event marked the start of Mr. Atiku’s presidential campaign in a state led by the ruling party.

Campaign launch follows dispute over facilities

The ADC also accused the Sokoto State Government of blocking access to public facilities needed for the campaign launch. They claimed these restrictions led to more residents attending the event.

This accusation came after the state government sealed a building used by the ADC on Ahmadu Bello Way. As PREMIUM TIMES previously reported, Nasiru Dantsoho, the Commissioner for Lands and Housing, said government records showed the defunct Savannah Bank as the owner of the property, with no transfer of ownership documented.

He said the government asked the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) to clarify ownership and ordered the premises sealed due to security issues. Mr. Shaibu acknowledged Savannah Bank’s ownership but questioned the government’s right to close the building. He told PREMIUM TIMES that political parties had used the premises for about 20 years, with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) being the last occupant.

He also mentioned that he visited the property on Tuesday morning and saw no physical restrictions. The sealed building had not been confirmed as the intended venue for Wednesday’s campaign launch.

The ADC’s latest statement did not mention the other public facilities that were allegedly denied to the party or provide details about the requests.

The dispute also followed Atiku’s claim on Tuesday that the State Security Service (SSS) was recruiting protesters to cause trouble in Sokoto, allowing the state government to impose curfews. The SSS denied this claim and stated that its director-general had ordered an investigation.

The agency cited its protection of the ADC governorship candidate in Sokoto, Manir Dan’iya, during an attack on October 31. It mentioned that two operatives were hurt while evacuating him. The SSS did not confirm if its personnel were involved in recruiting protesters.

Atiku proposes subsidy for locally refined fuel

At the rally on Wednesday, Atiku repeated his campaign promise to lower living costs through a targeted subsidy for locally refined petroleum products. According to the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, this production-based subsidy would help local refining and reduce fuel prices, benefiting transport, food prices, and household expenses.

This proposal differs from the previous fuel subsidy system, which provided government support for petrol consumption without considering if the product was locally refined or imported. However, the campaign has not explained the subsidy rate, how eligible refiners and products would be chosen, how the scheme would be funded, or how lower production costs would lead to lower retail prices.

These details matter because Nigeria’s previous fuel subsidy system put a heavy burden on public finances. Petrol prices jumped after Mr. Tinubu announced the end of the subsidy in May 2023. Changes to the foreign exchange system also drove up the naira cost of imported goods and production inputs.

While inflation has slowed since then, the higher prices that built up over time still affect household spending.

Sanusi credits Tinubu with economic progress

At the Oxford Global Think Tank conference held by former Securities and Exchange Commission Director-General Arunma Oteh on Tuesday, Mr. Sanusi stated that Nigeria has made progress towards economic stability under Mr. Tinubu.

The former Central Bank of Nigeria governor pointed to improvements in economic growth, falling inflation, and external reserves as proof that the administration’s reforms are yielding results. He said the economy grew by 4.48 percent in the second quarter of 2026, compared to an average growth of 0.9 percent during former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

However, official figures show the second-quarter growth at 4.43 percent, up from 3.89 percent in the first quarter. Mr. Sanusi also mentioned the drop in headline inflation from over 30 percent to about 14.6 percent, predicting it would reach 12.5 percent by the end of 2026.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics figures reported by Reuters, headline inflation fell to 14.63 percent in September from 15.39 percent in August.

The emir also claimed that Nigeria’s dollar-denominated gross domestic product per capita increased by 47 percent since 2023. He noted external reserves are at $55 billion but warned that part of the increase comes from foreign portfolio investments, which could leave the country vulnerable to sudden withdrawals.

Mr. Sanusi linked some of the inflows to higher global oil prices and attractive returns on Nigerian investments. He said the Dangote Refinery accounts for about 20 percent of Nigeria’s exports, highlighting its role in economic diversification. The numbers he provided for dollar-denominated GDP per capita and the refinery’s share of exports have not been independently checked against official datasets.

“I’m not a fan of politicians, but we need to give credit to President Tinubu’s administration for bringing us back from the brink,” Mr. Sanusi said, according to TheCable.

He described the progress as the start of economic stability, not the end of the country’s recovery. “There are clearly foundations being laid for stability. It’s not the end, but the first step towards stability,” he said.

Mr. Sanusi also criticized the administration’s response to public criticism, saying it sees suggestions and contributions it disagrees with as attacks. “This government doesn’t express itself properly. It sees every suggestion and contribution it does not like as an attack, and it doesn’t have good spokespersons,” he said.

Why falling inflation has not ended hardship

Even with improvements in Nigeria’s economic indicators, prices for essential goods have not dropped significantly. A decline in inflation from more than 30 percent to 14.63 percent means prices are generally rising more slowly, not that they have returned to previous levels.

Food inflation is still higher than headline inflation at 19.59 percent in September, according to the NBS. Economic growth measures the change in the value of goods and services produced, rather than showing if individual households can afford more food, fuel, or other necessities.

These differences help explain why Atiku can campaign on the hardship facing Nigerians, even as Mr. Sanusi acknowledges progress in economic growth and inflation. The Tinubu administration has defended its reforms as necessary to solve long-standing economic issues, including the financial burden of fuel subsidies and distortions in the foreign exchange market.

Atiku’s campaign argues that Nigerians need immediate relief from the cost of essential goods. Whether the improvements in growth and inflation will lead to better purchasing power is a key question as the country heads into the 2027 presidential election.