By George Omagbemi
The fuel subsidy debate has returned to the centre of Nigeria’s 2027 political conversation as Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), says an NDC government would reintroduce subsidy through a different model if elected.
Kwankwaso made the statement on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, during an interview with Arise News, while discussing petrol prices and the economic impact of President Bola Tinubu’s subsidy removal.
The former Kano State governor said the proposed approach would involve greater government investment in domestic refining, including the possibility of establishing additional government-owned refineries to increase local production and reduce petrol prices.
“We are bringing subsidy in our own way,” Kwankwaso said, explaining that the objective would be to ensure Nigerians can purchase petrol at what he described as a reasonable price.
He criticised Tinubu’s decision to end the petrol subsidy immediately after assuming office in May 2023, arguing that the government did not sufficiently consider the consequences of the policy.
Tinubu announced the removal of the subsidy during his May 29, 2023 inauguration speech, declaring that “subsidy is gone.”
Kwankwaso’s comments come as fuel pricing remains a major issue in the political debate ahead of the 2027 general elections, with different political actors proposing varying approaches to reducing petrol costs.
The NDC candidate, however, did not provide detailed figures on the proposed subsidy model or explain how it would be financed.
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