The Vice-Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2027 elections, Rabiu Kwankwaso, has declared that the party is exploring all options, including the return of the fuel subsidy, to reduce the soaring price of petrol.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, the former Kano State governor stated that he, alongside the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and its leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, are now in agreement on the contentious issue.
Kwankwaso emphasized that the resolution of the party was driven by the economic hardship and energy costs Nigerians currently face following the removal of the petrol subsidy by President Bola Tinubu on May 29, 2023.
While Obi had previously supported the subsidy removal provided the system was corruption-free, Kwankwaso added that the NDC has concluded discussions to deploy the “mother of all subsidies” to ease the burden on citizens.
“We are on the same page now with His Excellency Peter Obi. Our collective position now is that the price of energy in this country is too high and our position is we are going to do whatever is necessary to ensure that the price of fuel in this country is taken back, including doing whatever we can, including the subsidy and so on and so forth.”
Kwankwaso explained that tackling corruption within the oil sector remains the primary solution to funding the proposed intervention. He lamented that the masses are yet to recover from the economic shock caused by the policy change in 2023.
“We believe we could get an answer, that is removing corruption wherever it is in the oil industry. Now, we have seen the implication of removing the subsidy on day one in this country today, up till now, I think nobody has recovered from that shock of removing that subsidy on that day,” he added.
The NDC vice-presidential candidate reiterated the party’s commitment to improving the living conditions of Nigerians ahead of the upcoming general elections.
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