There are indications that President Goodluck Jonathan and the leadership of the Peoples’ Democratic Party may clash over a fresh plan by the President to remove fuel subsidy.
Sources say that the leaders were not comfortable with the idea, saying that Jonathan would be taking a huge gamble, especially at this time when the major opposition parties were fusing into a new mega-party, the All Progressives’ Congress.
PDP leaders who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said on Thursday that removing fuel subsidy would worsen the woes of the party as the 2015 elections approach, and would amount to political suicide.
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’.
However, 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 added that he believed that the statement made by the President was a futuristic one and not immediate, because 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 were not likely to support it.
The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh, was contacted for comments. However, he did not respond to calls made to his mobile phone.
It was also learnt that even some of the aides and associates of the President are at discomfort over the issue.
A close associate of the President said that despite some of the feats recorded by his administration, the President still suffered from a lot of negative press.
He feared that a fresh hike would pitch Nigerians against Jonathan, which could be used by the opposition against the party in the next elections.
It was gathered that while the Presidency and top PDP officials were of the opinion 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 despite the present administration’scommitment to completely removing fuel subsidy, the decision may not take effect this year.
The source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the President has resolved to ensure that all Nigerians were properly sensitised before the complete deregulation of the downstream sector in order 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.”
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, could not be reached for comments at the time of filing this report as he was on the President’s delegation to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.