The Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate in the 2023 presidential election, Prince Adewole Adebayo has slammed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the removal of fuel subsidy.
Adebayo described President Tinibu as a hypocrite for opposing former President Goodluck Jonathan when he wanted to remove fuel subsidy in 2011 and went in the opposite direction when he came to power.
In an interview with Arise News on Wednesday, Adebayo said Tinubu and his advisers should have provided palliatives and other plans to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal for Nigerians before the announcement.
He said, “When we talk about hypocrisy, it didn’t start with the labour unions. Hypocrisy started with President Tinubu himself who opposed former President Goodluck Jonathan when he had a smaller amount of subsidy adjustment and all of them went on the streets against it.
“And when they came to power, they went in the opposite direction; finished everything once and for all. It is not a political statement when you say people are hypocritical. We predicted all this.
“We were discussing it then. Nobody can pretend that he/she is not aware that it will affect factor cost. And if it affects factor cost, it will affect cost of living. If it affects the cost of living, more people will go into poverty.”
Speaking further, Adewole said the fuel subsidy removal has thrown more Nigerians into poverty in the last two months, warning that unless President Tinubu and his handlers rethink and have a backup plan, the government would fail woefully.
He said: “I think it is not too late for the government, starting with President Tinubu and co, to rethink and have a backup plan because I have a feeling, and I am saying it with every sense of responsibility, that if they go the way they are going, they will fail woefully. Not because they hate the people but because they are adopting models that never worked.”
