RismadarVoice Reporters
September 23, 2026
Former Kaduna Central Senator Shehu Sani has reacted to comments by Nigeria Democratic Congress vice-presidential candidate Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso that an NDC government would reintroduce fuel subsidy through a different approach if elected in 2027.
Kwankwaso said during a television interview on Tuesday that the party would seek to reduce petrol prices through measures including increased domestic refining capacity.
“We are bringing subsidy in our own way,” Kwankwaso said, adding that an NDC administration would pursue measures aimed at making petrol available to Nigerians at what he described as a reasonable price.
His remarks have drawn attention because NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi has publicly maintained that Nigeria should not return to the previous fuel subsidy regime. Obi has argued that subsidy removal should have been implemented in a more structured manner, with savings transparently channelled into productive sectors.
Reacting on Wednesday, Sani highlighted Obi’s position, describing the former Anambra State governor as consistent in maintaining his stance despite the political sensitivity surrounding fuel prices.
“Peter insists on maintaining the removal of petroleum subsidy. He remains consistent with his own vision,” Sani wrote.
He further argued that Obi was refusing to alter his position simply to attract electoral support, describing such an approach figuratively as refusing to “buy the throne with fake currency.”
Kwankwaso’s comments have renewed attention on how the NDC intends to define its fuel-pricing policy ahead of the 2027 presidential election, particularly given the different language used publicly by the two candidates.
While Obi has maintained his support for subsidy removal, Kwankwaso has described the party’s proposed intervention as bringing subsidy back “in our own way,” with greater domestic refining among the measures he outlined.
