Peter Obi Announces What He Will Do With Fuel Subsidy

• NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi addressed the fuel subsidy debate during a BBC interview on Tuesday
• Obi said he would keep the subsidy if elected in 2027, but on different terms from what currently exists
• The former Anambra governor also weighed in on opposition unity and compared his anti-corruption approach to that of former President Buhari

Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2027 elections, has said his administration would retain the fuel subsidy but would strip out the corruption he believes has long plagued the scheme.

Obi made the remarks on Tuesday during an interview with the BBC, where he was asked directly whether he would restore the subsidy regime.

"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.

The former Anambra State governor had consistently linked Nigeria's subsidy problems to corruption rather than the subsidy itself.

"From day one, I've talked about subsidy. I talked about corruption; corruption is the problem of subsidy," he told the BBC.

How Obi plans to fight corruption

When pressed on how he would clean up the system, Obi pointed to personal conduct as the starting point.

"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.

The interviewer raised the example of former President Muhammadu Buhari, who also campaigned on an anti-corruption platform and made efforts to keep his family out of government business. Obi drew a sharp distinction between himself and Buhari.

"Nigerians should not decide with that. He was not in charge. The difference is that I'll be in charge," he said, with the remark coming against the backdrop of ongoing Economic and Financial Crimes Commission investigations into some officials who served under the Buhari government.

President Bola Tinubu removed the fuel subsidy on May 29, 2023, the day he was sworn in. The decision drew criticism from opposition figures including Obi and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who was the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress at the time. The Presidency has consistently defended the move as being in the country's best interest.

Obi on opposition unity

Obi also addressed the question of whether opposition parties might unite around a single consensus candidate ahead of 2027, and whether he would be willing to step aside. He rejected the framing entirely.

"We don't need to step down. We need to do the right thing," he said.

Obi joined the NDC on May 29, 2026, after leaving the African Democratic Congress on May 2, 2026, and was ratified as the party's presidential candidate on the same day he defected.