Fuel price hike: Jonathan, PDP leaders may clash

President Goodluck Jonathan and Peoples Democratic Party leaders may clash over the President’s fresh plan to remove fuel subsidy.

Saturday PUNCH’s investigation revealed that the leaders were worried that Jonathan was taking a dangerous gamble, especially at a time when some opposition parties’ were planning to fuse into the All Progressives Congress.

PDP leaders, who spoke to one of our correspondents on condition of anonymity in Abuja on Thursday, said the removal of fuel subsidy would compound the party’s woes ahead of 2015 elections.

They said doing so now would amount to committing “political hara-kiri” for the party.

The President had at a summit in Lagos on Tuesday said the Federal Government would remove the subsidy because it was benefitting the ‘affluent middle class’.

But some PDP National Working Committee members said they would advise the President not to toy with the issue because of the 2015 elections.

“This is not the right time to talk about that. The opposition is lurking around to take power from us and that (increase fuel price) would be a tenable excuse and a campaign slogan against us in 2015.

“We will not encourage that. Anything on that may have to wait till after 2015. We don’t want to incur the wrath of Nigerians.

“If the President increases the fuel price now, there is no way we will manage its fallout that it will not affect our fortunes in the 2015 elections,” an NWC member said.

He said the statement made by the President was a ‘futuristic one’ and not immediate, adding that there was no way the President would be talking about a hike in petrol price now with the security challenges facing the country.

“I think we should not dwell on this too much. The President was talking about future subsidy; anything sort of that is being misinterpreted,” the source added.

He said the President had yet to inform the party about the plan, adding that if he brings it up, PDP leaders “may not support it.”

Efforts made to obtain comments from the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, were not successful as he did not respond to calls made to his mobile telephone.

Saturday PUNCH also learnt that some of the President’s aides and associates were not comfortable about the issue.

A close associate of the President said there were worries that Jonathan was having too much bad press in spite of some of the feats recorded by his administration.

The associate said there were fears that a fresh hike would pitch Nigerians against the President and could be used by the opposition against him and his party in upcoming elections.

It was gathered that while it is the prevalent view in the Presidency and top PDP officials that the subsidy should go, they have delayed taking on the subsidy issue because of the implications of a mass opposition to it by Nigerians.

A Presidency source told our correspondent that although the present administration was committed to completely removing fuel subsidy, the decision may not take effect this year.

The source, who pleaded anonymity, said the President has resolved to ensure that all Nigerians were properly sensitised before the complete deregulation of the downstream sector. This is meant to avoid the backlash that followed a similar attempt in January 2012.

He said, “Money for fuel subsidy is captured in the 2013 Budget. That is a clear indication that the full deregulation may not take place this year.

“The brief received by the President from the Ministry of Information was that most Nigerians are not opposed to deregulation. He (the President) was told that what Nigerians were against was the timing of the deregulation in January 2012.

“This same information was repeated by Labaran Maku (Minister of Information) while briefing the Federal Executive Council of the achievements and challenges of his ministry in 2012 on Wednesday.

“The point is that the President has made it clear many times that subsidy must go but what we cannot say for now is when it will go.”



Read more: kaaf.com/2013/03/Fuel-price-hike-Jonathan-PDP-leaders-may-clash-315829