Peter Obi Promises Lower Petrol Prices, Says He’ll Tackle Fuel Subsidy Corruption in 2027

Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Peter Obi, has promised to moderate petrol prices across Nigeria if elected president in the 2027 election.

Obi made the pledge during an interview with Arise TV on Thursday, where he said his administration would tackle corruption in the fuel subsidy system as part of efforts to reduce the cost of petrol.

The former Anambra State governor argued that Nigerians were currently paying too much for fuel and said addressing corruption within the subsidy system would help bring prices down.

Obi said his government would focus on eliminating leakages in the subsidy process rather than allowing corruption to continue undermining the system.

He also rejected suggestions that the removal of the fuel subsidy was responsible for worsening poverty in northern Nigeria. According to Obi, other factors were responsible for the region’s economic hardship, while insecurity could not be blamed on subsidy removal.

“The poverty in the North was not worsened by the removal of the fuel subsidy. There are other factors. That is not what is causing insecurity,” he said.

Obi’s latest comments come amid an ongoing political debate over the future of Nigeria’s fuel subsidy policy. At the Nigerian Bar Association conference last month, he disagreed with African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, who had advocated the return of the subsidy.

While Atiku has proposed reinstating the fuel subsidy, Obi has maintained that the system can be reformed by addressing corruption and reducing the high cost of petrol for Nigerians.