Campaign council defends Obi over fuel subsidy U-turn

The Peter Obi’s presidential campaign council has defended his decision to restore petrol subsidy if elected in 2027, despite his repeated calls for the removal of the subsidy regime during the 2019 and 2023 election cycles.

Mr Obi, who was the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) vice-presidential candidate in 2019, repeatedly criticised the petrol subsidy and said it should be removed.

He argued that a “serious government” would rather redirect the funds spent on subsidy to critical sectors such as education and healthcare.

In 2023, Mr Obi, who has consistently advocated a greater role for the private sector in the economy, again promised to remove the subsidy, describing it as wasteful.

Speaking at the 2026 Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, he said the mismanagement of the savings from subsidy removal by the current administration was not enough reason to reverse the policy.

“I subscribe and maintain that you need to remove subsidy. Mismanagement of the proceeds shouldn’t be the reason for not removing it,” the former Anambra State governor said.

But Mr Obi appeared to change his position in an interview with the BBC on Tuesday, 6 October, saying he would restore the subsidy if elected president.

He argued that the major problem with the subsidy regime was the corruption surrounding its implementation.

“I’ll remove the corruption and retain the subsidy,” he said. In the past, he was unequivocal about removing the petrol subsidy.

Mr Obi also explained how he intended to tackle corruption, arguing that the conduct of the president and members of his immediate family would be central to his anti-corruption strategy.

“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 presidential candidate said.

Campaign council defends Obi

Emmanuel Idakwo, a spokesperson for Mr Obi’s presidential campaign, has defended the candidate’s position, insisting that he has been consistent on petrol subsidy.

Speaking on Arise Television’s News Night on Wednesday, Mr Idakwo said Mr Obi’s promise to restore subsidy was consistent with his earlier position that the old subsidy regime had to be removed because of corruption.

Mr Obi is the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

“He has been consistent on what he has been saying,” Mr Idakwo said. “He has made it very clear since 2023 that the subsidy regime that we had then must be removed, and that is because of the corruption in that subsidy regime.”

‘Not the exact old regime’

Mr Idakwo said Mr Obi’s proposed subsidy would not be a return to the system that existed before its removal.

“The moment you remove that subsidy regime, you have to tackle the corruption, and then it’s still necessary to make fuel affordable,” he said.

“You would still reinstate the subsidy, but it will not be the exact old subsidy regime we had,” he added.

Mr Idakwo said Nigerians would trust Mr Obi because of his willingness to be open about the policy.

He also criticised the approach of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, arguing that Mr Obi would take more time to study government finances and policies before making major decisions.

“Unlike what we experienced in 2023, where Mr Tinubu just came in without studying the books,” he said.

Mr Idakwo also argued that the government was still effectively subsidising petrol through what he described as energy security costs running into trillions of naira annually.

He challenged the government to state openly whether such payments should be regarded as a form of subsidy.

How Obi’s administration will fight corruption
Asked how an Obi administration would tackle corruption, Mr Idakwo said the fight would start with the president.

“Tackling corruption starts from the commander-in-chief,” he said.

He argued that Mr Obi’s personal integrity would help reduce corruption, saying the candidate would not take a share of funds from subsidy-related activities.

Mr Idakwo said government spending would be transparent and officials would be held accountable for funds entrusted to them.

Asked how much an Obi administration would be willing to spend on subsidy, Mr Idakwo did not give a figure.

“I can assure you that you’re going to hear it from his excellency directly,” he said.

On who would bear the cost of the subsidy, he said an Obi administration would first seek to diversify the economy, particularly through increased investment in agriculture, to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on crude oil.

He also linked the fight against corruption to the recovery of public funds, citing what he described as a reported N210 trillion that was not accounted for at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

On refineries

On fuel availability, Mr Idakwo said Mr Obi would prioritise increasing the number of functional refineries in the country and encourage private investors to build new ones.

He said increased domestic refining capacity and competition would reduce the likelihood of fuel shortages.

“You’ll discover that it’s very difficult for us to have fuel scarcity,” he said.

Mr Idakwo also said Nigeria needed to move from consumption to production to reduce its exposure to fluctuations in global crude prices and exchange rates.

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“Nigeria must move from consumption to production,” he said.

He said increased exports would strengthen the naira and suggested that the government could reach agreements with local refineries to purchase crude in naira rather than dollars, which he said would help stabilise fuel prices.

President Tinubu announced the removal of the petrol subsidy on 29 May 2023, during his inauguration speech. Mr Tinubu has repeatedly defended the removal of petrol subsidy and the liberalisation of the foreign exchange market as necessary to address longstanding distortions in the economy.

Other presidential candidates have also taken positions on the subsidy.

Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has promised to restore the subsidy, while Adewole Adebayo of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has promised to sell petrol at N200 per litre within 12 months.

Seyi Makinde of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) has rejected a return to the old subsidy regime, while Donald Duke of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) has promised petrol at N300 per litre by pricing locally consumed fuel at production cost.