The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has thrown open the door to a possible return of fuel subsidy, with its vice-presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, declaring that the party is prepared to consider every option to bring down petrol prices if elected in 2027.
Kwankwaso said he, the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and its leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, had now reached a common position on the contentious policy, insisting that the soaring cost of energy and the hardship facing Nigerians demanded urgent action.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, the former Kano State governor said the party would not rule out subsidy as part of its proposed interventions to reduce fuel prices.
“We are on the same page now with His Excellency Peter Obi. Our collective position now is that the price of energy in this country is too high,” Kwankwaso said.
“Our position is we are going to do whatever is necessary to ensure that the price of fuel in this country is taken back, including doing whatever we can, including the subsidy and so on and so forth.”
The declaration signals a convergence of positions within the NDC leadership on one of the most divisive economic policies under President Bola Tinubu, whose administration ended the petrol subsidy regime on May 29, 2023.
Tinubu announced the decision during his inauguration, declaring that “subsidy is gone”, a move that triggered a sharp increase in petrol prices and pushed up transportation, food and other living costs.
Kwankwaso argued that Nigerians had yet to recover from the economic shock of the decision, making a review of the government’s approach to fuel pricing a major priority for the opposition party.
He maintained that tackling corruption in the oil industry could help create room for interventions capable of reducing the burden on consumers.
“We believe we could get an answer, that is removing corruption wherever it is in the oil industry,” he said.
“Now, we have seen the implication of removing the subsidy on day one in this country today. Up till now, I think nobody has recovered from that shock of removing that subsidy on that day.”
The NDC vice-presidential candidate said the party had held several discussions on the issue with Obi and other leaders, adding that their proposed measures were aimed at easing the pressure on households and businesses.
He described the planned interventions as the “mother of all subsidies”, although he did not provide details of the proposed funding mechanism, eligibility criteria or how a potential subsidy regime would be insulated from corruption.
Obi had previously supported the removal of petrol subsidy but subsequently promised to restore it under a system designed to eliminate corruption.
Kwankwaso, by contrast, had consistently advocated bringing back subsidy in a different form to lower petrol prices.
Their reported alignment now places fuel subsidy and energy affordability firmly on the NDC’s emerging economic agenda ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The proposal also raises key policy questions about the cost of reintroducing subsidy, how it would be financed and whether the benefits would reach consumers without creating fresh fiscal pressures.
Kwankwaso, however, insisted that the party was prepared to explore all available options to improve living conditions, arguing that Nigerians could no longer continue to bear the weight of high energy costs.
