The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, has said he will restore the petrol subsidy if elected president in the 2027 election, but vowed to eliminate what he described as the corruption associated with the subsidy regime.
Obi, a former Anambra State governor, stated this on Tuesday during an interview with the BBC, while outlining his position on the controversial fuel subsidy policy.
President Bola Tinubu announced the removal of the petrol subsidy during his inauguration on May 29, 2023, a decision that has remained a major point of debate among political parties and opposition figures.
While the Presidency has consistently defended the policy as being in the best interest of the country, opposition leaders, including Obi and the former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, have criticised the manner in which the subsidy was removed.
Speaking on his position, Obi said he had consistently raised concerns about corruption in the subsidy system.
“From day one, I’ve talked about subsidy. I talked about corruption; corruption is the problem of subsidy.”
Asked directly whether he would reinstate the subsidy if elected, the NDC candidate answered in the affirmative but said his administration would first tackle the alleged corruption surrounding the system.
“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 also explained how he intended to address corruption within government, arguing that political leaders must first ensure that they and their immediate families do not benefit improperly from public resources.
“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 former Anambra governor was also asked whether he would step down for another candidate if opposition parties eventually united and selected a consensus candidate ahead of the 2027 election.
Obi rejected the suggestion, saying the priority should be for the opposition to make what he described as the right political decision.
“We don’t need to step down. We need to do the right thing.”
The interviewer subsequently cited former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration as an example of a government that took a strong position against corruption, including efforts to keep his family away from government affairs.
Responding, Obi argued that Nigerians should not judge his proposed administration solely by the experience of Buhari’s government, stressing that the president must be firmly in control of the administration.
“Nigerians should not decide with that.”
He added, “He was not in charge. The difference is that I’ll be in charge.”
His remarks came against the backdrop of ongoing investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission involving some former government officials who served under the Buhari administration.
