Peter Obi and Kwankwaso Are Not Saying the Same Thing on Fuel Subsidy

On Tuesday, Rabiu Kwankwaso, the vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, told Arise TV that a Peter Obi-led administration would bring back fuel subsidy in a modified form. He said it plainly: "We are bringing subsidy in our own way." Meanwhile Peter Obi, the NDC presidential candidate, has been saying the exact opposite for years. At the Nigerian Bar Association conference in Port Harcourt in August 2026, Obi said: "I subscribe and maintain that you need to remove subsidy. Mismanagement of the proceeds shouldn't be the reason for not removing it."

So what exactly is the NDC selling to Nigerians in 2027? One man says remove it, the other says bring it back in our own way. Kwankwaso also faulted President Bola Tinubu's removal of the subsidy on May 29, 2023, calling the aftermath a "total mess economically," and argued that government should support local refineries so that fuel prices can come down. This is not a small discrepancy. Dr Samson Simon, Chief Economist at ARKK Economics & Data Limited, told DAILY POST that he is worried about a clash of personality, noting that Kwankwaso is older, has been in politics longer, and may feel too big to take instructions from Obi, who he described as not primarily a politician but a former bank chairman.

I have followed Nigerian politics since the days of the Action Group in the old Western Region, and I will tell you one thing: when a ticket cannot agree on fuel policy before the election, they will not agree on it in Aso Rock. The pump price in Ibadan today is not a theoretical matter. It is what determines whether a trader in Bodija market makes profit or closes shop. Be honest with me, is it not better for both men to sit down in one room and produce a single document on subsidy before they ask for our votes? Am I the only one that thinks this ticket is heading for trouble?