‘Whatever is necessary’ — Kwankwaso says NDC may restore petrol subsidy to reduce prices

Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), says the party “will do whatever is necessary” to reduce petrol prices, including possibly restoring the subsidy if it wins the 2027 presidential election.

Kwankwaso, former governor of Kano, spoke on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

President Bola Tinubu announced the removal of the petrol subsidy on May 29, 2023, during his inauguration.

According to the former governor of Kano, Nigerians have yet to recover from the economic shock of the policy. He argued that tackling corruption in the oil industry could help address the problem.

“We have seen the implication of removing the subsidy from day one in the country till today. Up till now, I think nobody has recovered from that shock of removing the subsidy on that day,” Kwankwaso said.

“Now, we sat down many times, we looked at the issues, and we looked at the history of his excellency Peter Obi in Anambra and my humble self in Kano, and even the leader, his excellency Dickson.

“We looked at the issues based on the committees and so on, and I can tell you the NDC, and of course, our ticket, one can call them the mother of all subsidies because whatever we can do from our own end to ensure that the masses of this country have got to live because life now as it is like hell all over the country.

“Our collective position now is that the price of energy in this country is too high,” he said.

“And 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.”

Kwankwaso’s comments come weeks after Peter Obi, the NDC presidential candidate, said his administration would restore the petrol subsidy after tackling corruption in the country.

Speaking in September at the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) 2026 conference in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital, Obi said the mismanagement of the gains from the removal of the subsidy by the current administration was not enough reason to reinstate it.

Other presidential candidates have also criticised Tinubu over the removal of the petrol subsidy.

Donald Duke, the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) presidential candidate, said earlier this month that he would reduce the price of petrol to about N300 per litre if elected president in 2027.

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said in August that he would restore the petrol subsidy if elected president in 2027.