Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, has said he would retain the fuel subsidy if elected president in 2027, while removing what he described as corruption associated with the scheme.
Obi made the remarks during an interview with the BBC on Tuesday.
President Bola Tinubu announced the removal of the fuel subsidy on May 29, 2023, shortly after assuming office.
Asked whether he would restore the subsidy, Obi answered in the affirmative but said his administration would seek to eliminate corruption linked to the programme.
“Yes. But remember, I have qualified it, not with the corruption that’s associated with it. I’ll remove the corruption and retain the subsidy,” he said.
Obi identified corruption as a major problem with the subsidy regime and said his administration would address it.
“If you are not stealing, if you are not involved, your wife and family are not involved, you reduce it by 50 per cent,” he said when asked how he would tackle corruption.
On a possible consensus presidential candidate if opposition parties unite ahead of the 2027 election, Obi said he would not step aside.
“We don’t need to step down. We need to do the right thing,” he said.
Obi was also asked about former President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption record and efforts to keep his family away from government affairs.
“Nigerians should not decide with that,” Obi said, adding, “He was not in charge. The difference is that I’ll be in charge.”
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