The presidential and vice-presidential candidates of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso, appear to hold different positions on the future of fuel subsidy ahead of the 2027 election.
Kwankwaso, a former Kano State governor, said on Tuesday that an NDC government would reintroduce fuel subsidy, although through a different approach.
Speaking in an interview with Arise News, he said, “We are bringing subsidy in our own way,” adding that government could invest in refineries and expand domestic production to reduce petrol prices.
Kwankwaso also criticized President Bola Tinubu’s decision to remove the subsidy in May 2023, describing the implementation as a mistake that contributed to economic hardship.
His position, however, differs from that of Obi, who has repeatedly said subsidy removal should not be reversed.
Speaking at the Nigerian Bar Association conference in Port Harcourt in August, Obi said the mismanagement of funds recovered from subsidy removal was not a reason to restore the policy.
“I subscribe and maintain that you need to remove subsidy. Mismanagement of the proceeds shouldn’t be the reason for not removing it,” he said.
Obi has argued that the subsidy should have been removed in a planned and phased manner, with the savings invested in areas such as healthcare, education, and other productive sectors.
Kwankwaso, meanwhile, said the NDC would seek to lower petrol prices through increased domestic refining and other government interventions.
The differing comments have raised questions about how the NDC would reconcile its economic policy ahead of the 2027 election.
Both politicians have criticized the impact of the current fuel pricing regime and called for measures to reduce the burden on Nigerians, but their recent statements point to different approaches to achieving that goal.
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