Vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has promised that an NDC government will restore fuel subsidy in a different form if elected in 2027.
Kwankwaso made the pledge during an interview with Arise News on Tuesday, as he criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to remove the petrol subsidy shortly after assuming office.
The former Kano State governor said the policy, which Tinubu announced on May 29, 2023, contributed to the economic hardship Nigerians have faced since then.
According to Kwankwaso, although the major contenders in the 2023 presidential election had campaigned on subsidy removal, Tinubu’s decision to implement it immediately without adequate safeguards worsened its impact.
He said the NDC would take a different route by expanding Nigeria’s refining capacity and ensuring that petrol is available to consumers at what he described as a reasonable price.
“We are bringing subsidy in our own way,” Kwankwaso said.
He argued that if private individuals could establish refineries, the Federal Government could also build additional refineries where necessary to meet the country’s minimum fuel requirements.
His words: “If individuals in this country can build refineries, I see no reason why government under certain circumstances will not build refineries to achieve the minimum requirement.”
Kwankwaso said the ultimate goal would be to make petrol affordable across the country.
“We in the NDC will do whatever it takes really to put the price of oil down,” he added.
He, however, stressed that the proposed intervention would not simply amount to a return to the previous subsidy system, but would involve measures aimed at boosting domestic refining and bringing down pump prices.
Kwankwaso also took aim at former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar over his position on subsidy and refinery privatisation, questioning how such proposals would be implemented.
His comments come amid renewed public debate over petrol prices and the economic impact of subsidy removal. Fuel prices have risen sharply again in September amid higher global crude prices, adding fresh pressure on household incomes ahead of the 2027 elections.
The subsidy question is therefore emerging as a major economic issue in the 2027 political campaign, with opposition parties proposing different approaches to reducing the cost of petrol.
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