2027: Fresh Tension Emerges Over Obi, Kwankwaso’s Fuel Position

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The vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Rabiu Kwankwaso, has said a government led by Peter Obi would reintroduce fuel subsidy, although through a different arrangement.

Kwankwaso, a former Kano State governor, made the disclosure during an interview with Arise TV on Tuesday.

According to report the NDC running mate was discussing the fuel subsidy policy implemented by the administration of President Bola Tinubu and the positions of presidential candidates ahead of the 2027 election.

Both Obi and Kwankwaso have criticised the Tinubu administration over the current cost of petrol and maintained that Nigerians require relief from rising pump prices.

However, the two politicians appear to hold different views on whether fuel subsidy should be restored.

Obi, the NDC presidential candidate and former Anambra State governor, has repeatedly defended the decision to remove fuel subsidy.

Repoerters reported that his position, contained in his 2023 manifesto and reiterated in subsequent interviews, is that subsidy removal should have been implemented gradually and through a properly structured process.

According to Obi, the government should have addressed corruption concerns and developed a transparent pricing mechanism involving stakeholders in the downstream petroleum industry before fully removing the subsidy.

Speaking recently at the Nigerian Bar Association conference in Port Harcourt in August 2026, Obi again rejected suggestions that Nigeria should return to the previous subsidy system.

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

The NDC presidential candidate further argued that funds saved from subsidy removal should have been directed toward key sectors, including healthcare, education and agriculture, while increasing contributions to the country’s sovereign wealth fund.

Obi also claimed that the government had recovered trillions of naira following the removal of subsidy but had failed to provide sufficient transparency on how the funds were being invested to reduce the economic burden on Nigerians.

Kwankwaso, however, has presented a different approach to the issue.

During an exclusive interview with Arise News on Tuesday, the NDC vice-presidential candidate said an administration headed by Obi would restore subsidy, but not through the previous system.

“We are bringing subsidy in our own way,” Kwankwaso said.

The former Kano governor also criticised the removal of subsidy by President Bola Tinubu on May 29, 2023, arguing that the policy was introduced without sufficient preparations.

He said the decision had contributed to what he described as a “total mess economically.”

Kwankwaso acknowledged that the major candidates who contested the 2023 presidential election had all campaigned on the eventual removal of fuel subsidy.

He argued that government should encourage the expansion of private and public refining capacity to ensure petroleum products are produced domestically and made available to Nigerians at lower prices.

“If individuals in this country can build refineries, I see no reason why government under certain circumstances will not build refineries,” he said.

He added that the administration’s goal would be to do “whatever it takes to put the price of oil down.”

The differing comments have sparked questions over how the NDC would reconcile the positions of its presidential and vice-presidential candidates.

While Obi has maintained that Nigeria should retain the subsidy removal policy, Kwankwaso has openly advocated bringing subsidy back “in our own way.”

Both politicians have criticised the manner in which subsidy was removed and agreed that Nigerians should not continue to bear the full impact of high petrol prices, but their proposed solutions differ.

For Obi, the focus is on retaining subsidy removal, reducing corruption and waste, and directing the resulting savings toward public services and economic development.

Kwankwaso, on the other hand, has emphasised government support for domestic refining and other interventions designed to reduce fuel prices, including a new form of subsidy.

Obi, Kwankwaso may clash over leadership if elected – economist

Reacting to the development, Chief Economist of ARKK Economics & Data Limited, Dr Samson Simon, expressed concern that an Obi-Kwankwaso administration could encounter personality and leadership differences if elected in 2027.

Simon said Kwankwaso’s older age and longer political experience could potentially create friction with Obi, whom he described as a former bank chairman rather than a career politician.

He advised the two opposition figures to resolve their differences and establish common policies before the election.

“For Peter Obi and his running mate, I am beginning to be concerned. Kwankwaso is older and he has been in politics longer than Peter Obi. And Peter Obi is not primarily a politician; he was a bank chairman,” he said.

“I’m afraid that if they get to power, they may have a clash of personality and Kwankwaso might feel too big to take instructions from Peter Obi.

“They need to sit down together. They can’t be singing discordant tunes. They have to sit down and agree on a policy.

“I think Kwankwaso should defer to Obi as the head of the ticket, even if he doesn’t agree. That’s one thing about leadership. The thing about power is not about age,” he added.

Obi, Kwankwaso must harmonise positions on fuel subsidy – Analyst

Political analyst and communication expert at Peaceland University, Enugu, Nduka Odo, also said the disagreement between Obi and Kwankwaso highlights the need for the NDC presidential ticket to establish a common position on fuel subsidy ahead of the 2027 election.

Odo told reporters in a chat that while the two politicians may hold different views on economic management, they need to communicate a clear and consistent position to Nigerians on the subsidy question.

“You cannot be running on the same ticket and be sending different signals on an issue as sensitive as fuel subsidy,” he said.

He maintained that the matter should be approached beyond political rhetoric because decisions surrounding fuel subsidy directly affect living costs and the wider economy.

“They need to sit down, look at the figures and agree on a position that is economically sustainable and politically clear to Nigerians,” Odo said.

He further urged Obi and Kwankwaso to clearly explain how their proposed policy would differ from previous arrangements and what impact it would have on ordinary Nigerians.

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