Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso has declared that the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) will reintroduce fuel subsidy if it wins the January 2027 presidential election, calling President Bola Tinubu’s abrupt removal of the subsidy a “mistake” that plunged Nigeria into a “total mess, economically”.
Kwankwaso, the NDC’s vice presidential candidate running alongside Peter Obi, made the declaration during an interview with Arise TV, insisting the party would not simply revert to the old regime. “We’re bringing back fuel subsidy in our own way. There are so many ways to do that,” he said, pointing to a model anchored on domestic refining capacity.
The former Kano State governor argued that Nigeria’s fuel pricing crisis cannot be solved by pricing alone, revealing that the NDC would prioritise building more government-owned refineries and implementing measures to significantly cut pump prices nationwide. He cited the Dangote refinery as proof that large-scale refining is possible in Nigeria, questioning why the federal government has failed to follow suit.
“If individuals in this country can build refinery, I see no reason why the government will not build refineries,” Kwankwaso said, adding that the NDC “will do all it takes to put the price of oil down”.
The pledge injects fuel subsidy and domestic refining capacity directly into the 2027 campaign, setting up a sharp contrast with the Tinubu administration’s deregulation stance and reigniting a debate that has dominated Nigerian politics since the subsidy’s removal in May 2023.