Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi has said he will restore the petrol subsidy if elected president in 2027, provided the corruption he associates with the scheme is first removed.
Obi made the declaration during an interview with the BBC on Tuesday, while speaking about his position on fuel subsidy and his plans to tackle corruption in government.
The former Anambra State governor said the problem with the subsidy regime was not necessarily the policy itself but the corruption surrounding its implementation.
“From day one, I’ve talked about subsidy. I talked about corruption; corruption is the problem of subsidy.”
When asked directly whether he would return the subsidy if elected president, Obi 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.”
The statement marks a major change from the position Obi publicly expressed in August, when he defended the removal of petrol subsidy and argued that poor management of the money saved from the policy was not enough reason to reverse it.
Speaking at the 2026 Nigerian Bar Association Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Obi had maintained that subsidy should be removed, but that the resources recovered from the policy ought to have been properly invested.
“I subscribe and maintain that you need to remove subsidy. Mismanagement of the proceeds shouldn’t be the reason for not removing it,” Obi said at the time.
He had also argued that the savings from subsidy removal should be directed towards areas such as healthcare and other sectors that could provide tangible benefits to Nigerians.
However, Obi later began to make a distinction between removing the subsidy and eliminating the corruption he says has made the system ineffective.
In September, during a town hall meeting for the Obi-Kwankwaso presidential ticket in Sokoto State, Obi announced that he would bring back the subsidy after tackling corruption in the system, Politics Nigeria earlier reported.
“People are talking about subsidy but what is all about it is corruption. By removing the corruption, I assure you that we will bring back subsidy.”
The latest BBC interview has now provided a clearer explanation of the position, with Obi saying his proposed administration would retain subsidy but operate it without the corruption he believes has undermined the scheme.
His position is also coming shortly after his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, publicly disclosed that the NDC would introduce its own approach to subsidy if elected in 2027.
Kwankwaso, a former Kano State governor, made the statement in September during an interview with Arise TV while discussing petrol prices and the impact of the Tinubu administration’s subsidy removal.
Asked whether the NDC would face difficulties campaigning in the North-West, where there is strong demand for cheaper petrol, Kwankwaso said the party had its own plan.
“No, no, no. Look, we are bringing subsidy in our own way.”
He said one of the measures the NDC would consider was increased investment in domestic refining to make petrol available to Nigerians at what he described as a reasonable price.
Kwankwaso also suggested that government could establish additional refineries where necessary, arguing that increased domestic production would help reduce pressure on petrol prices.
The NDC vice-presidential candidate said the objective was to ensure that Nigerians could go to filling stations and purchase petrol at an affordable price.
Recall the fuel subsidy debate dates back to May 29, 2023, when President Bola Tinubu announced the end of the petrol subsidy shortly after taking the oath of office.
In his inaugural address at Eagle Square in Abuja, Tinubu declared: “The fuel subsidy is gone.”
The President said the 2023 budget did not make provision for continued subsidy payments and argued that the resources previously committed to the scheme could instead be used for infrastructure, education, healthcare and job creation.
The decision immediately became a major issue in Nigeria’s economic and political debate.
Petrol prices rose sharply after the policy was implemented, with transportation costs and the prices of goods and services also affected.
The Tinubu administration has continued to defend the removal as a necessary economic reform, while opposition politicians have differed over whether the policy should be maintained, modified or reversed.
Obi’s argument is that government should first eliminate the corruption he says has been responsible for the failure of the scheme.
He also linked the fight against corruption to the personal conduct of the president and members of the president’s family.
“If you are not stealing, if you are not involved, your wife and family are not involved, you reduce it by 50 per cent,” the NDC candidate said.
Obi was also asked about the record of former President Muhammadu Buhari, who came to power in 2015 on a strong anti-corruption message.
The former Anambra governor said Nigerians should not judge his proposed approach by Buhari’s record.
“Nigerians should not decide with that,” Obi stated, adding, “He was not in charge. The difference is that I’ll be in charge.”
The comment came during a discussion on corruption and the extent to which a president should personally take responsibility for the conduct of government officials and members of his administration.
Obi also rejected the suggestion that he should withdraw from the 2027 presidential contest if opposition parties eventually agree to field a consensus candidate.
Rather than stepping aside, he said opposition politicians should concentrate on mobilising voters and doing what he considers necessary to win the election.
“We don’t need to step down. We need to do the right thing.”