The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, has said he will restore petrol subsidy if elected president in 2027, arguing that corruption, rather than the subsidy itself, has been the major problem with the scheme.
Obi made the declaration during an interview with the BBC on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, while outlining his position on fuel pricing and his plans to tackle corruption in government.
Asked directly whether he would bring back the subsidy regime, the former Anambra State governor answered in the affirmative.
“Yes. But remember, I have qualified it, not with the corruption that’s associated with it. I’ll remove the corruption and retain the subsidy.”
Obi said his position had not changed on the subsidy itself, insisting that his longstanding concern had been the corruption associated with its administration.
“From day one, I’ve talked about subsidy. I talked about corruption; corruption is the problem of subsidy.”
His latest position represents a significant clarification of his stance on petrol subsidy, particularly against the background of his 2023 presidential campaign, when he supported the removal of the subsidy and argued that the money should be redirected to areas such as education, healthcare and infrastructure.
President Bola Tinubu announced the removal of petrol subsidy during his inauguration on May 29, 2023, declaring that “fuel subsidy is gone.” The policy subsequently triggered significant increases in petrol prices and became one of the major points of disagreement between the Federal Government and opposition politicians.
Obi and other opposition figures criticised aspects of the implementation, while the Tinubu administration maintained that subsidy removal was necessary to reduce the financial burden on government and redirect public resources.
Obi’s latest comments also come about two weeks after his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, said an NDC administration would reintroduce subsidy through a different approach.
Speaking to Arise News in September, Kwankwaso said the party would explore measures including increased government investment in domestic refining to make petrol available to Nigerians at what he described as a reasonable price.
“No, no, no, look. We are bringing subsidy in our own way,” Kwankwaso said.
He argued that increasing domestic refining capacity could help reduce petrol prices and said the NDC would consider additional government investment in refineries.
During the BBC interview, Obi also explained how he intended to approach corruption if elected, saying the conduct of the president and members of the president’s immediate family would be central to his strategy.
“If you are not stealing, if you are not involved, your wife and family are not involved, you reduce it by 50 per cent,” he said.
Obi was also asked about former President Muhammadu Buhari, who campaigned heavily on an anti-corruption platform but whose administration faced corruption allegations involving some officials.
In response, Obi said Nigerians should not use Buhari’s experience as the basis for judging his own proposed administration.
“He was not in charge. The difference is that I’ll be in charge.”
The NDC candidate further rejected suggestions that he should step aside if opposition parties eventually agree to field a consensus candidate against Tinubu in 2027.
“We don’t need to step down. We need to do the right thing.”
The debate over petrol subsidy is expected to remain a major issue ahead of the 2027 presidential election, particularly as political parties campaign on competing approaches to fuel pricing, domestic refining, inflation and the broader cost of living.
Obi’s latest declaration now puts the NDC’s position more clearly on the side of restoring some form of subsidy, while insisting that the system would have to be restructured to eliminate the corruption he associates with its previous operation.
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