The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has signalled its willingness to consider restoring petrol subsidy if it wins the 2027 general election, with its vice-presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, promising to explore all necessary measures to reduce fuel prices and ease the economic hardship facing Nigerians.

Kwankwaso made the declaration during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, October 15, saying the party’s leadership was united on the need to make energy more affordable.

The former Kano State governor said he, the NDC presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and the party’s leader, Seriake Dickson, had aligned their positions on addressing the high cost of energy in the country.

According to Kwankwaso, the party would consider whatever measures were necessary to bring down petrol prices, including a possible return to fuel subsidy.

He argued that the cost of petrol had become a major burden on households and businesses, contributing to higher transportation fares, rising food prices and increased operating costs for companies.

The NDC candidate said an incoming government would need to examine available policy options to reduce the pressure on Nigerians, particularly low-income earners and small businesses struggling with the rising cost of living.

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Kwankwaso also identified corruption and irregularities in the petroleum industry as issues that must be addressed to ensure Nigerians benefit from reforms in the sector.

He suggested that reducing waste and tackling abuses could help improve the management of public resources and support efforts to make petroleum products more affordable.

The comments reopen the debate over fuel subsidy removal, one of the most consequential economic decisions taken by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who announced the end of the policy during his inauguration on May 29, 2023.

The removal led to a sharp increase in petrol prices, with the effects spreading across transportation, food distribution, manufacturing and other sectors of the economy.

The Tinubu administration has defended the decision as part of broader economic reforms intended to reduce the government’s subsidy burden and redirect public funds towards other priorities. However, the resulting increase in living costs has remained a major concern for many Nigerians.

Kwankwaso’s statement suggests that the NDC would be prepared to revisit the policy if elected in 2027. However, the party has yet to publish a comprehensive framework explaining how a possible subsidy scheme would operate, how much it would cost or how the government would fund it without creating additional pressure on public finances.

Questions also remain about the proposed safeguards against corruption, the method of determining eligible beneficiaries and whether any intervention would involve a blanket subsidy or a more targeted arrangement.

The NDC’s position is expected to feature in the wider debate over economic policy ahead of the 2027 presidential election, as political parties outline their plans for addressing high petrol prices, inflation and the cost-of-living crisis.

For Nigerians facing elevated transportation and household expenses, the central issue will be whether the party can translate its promise of cheaper petrol into a practical, transparent and financially sustainable policy.

Former presidential aide Reno Omokri has challenged claims that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s speech at the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council was pre-recorded, pointing to television coverage and footage he said showed the President delivering the address at the event.

Omokri argued that the presence of journalists, reported live broadcasts and footage showing Tinubu moving to the podium contradicted suggestions that the speech had been recorded before the inauguration.

The controversy followed questions raised by human rights lawyer Chidi Odinkalu, who expressed doubts about the circumstances surrounding the President’s appearance in the video of the event. Odinkalu questioned the camera work and transitions in the footage and called for additional recordings to establish what happened at the venue.

Responding to the allegation, Omokri cited coverage by television stations, including Arise Television, as part of his argument that Tinubu attended the inauguration and delivered his address in person.

According to Omokri, the footage showed Tinubu rising from his seat in the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, walking to the presidential podium bearing the Coat of Arms and delivering his speech as cameras followed his movements.

He also pointed to shots showing the President’s empty seat after he stood up, different camera angles capturing him at the podium and footage of his interactions with attendees.

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Omokri further referred to exchanges involving Tinubu and some participants, including Senator Abdul’aziz Abubakar Yari, whom he identified as the Director-General of the Presidential Campaign Council.

The former presidential aide maintained that these details undermined the allegation that the President’s address had been pre-recorded. However, his arguments about the footage should be distinguished from independently established facts about the event.

In a separate report published on October 15, 2026, Premium Times said it had independently confirmed that Tinubu was physically present at the inauguration. The report provided an additional basis for assessing claims about the President’s attendance, beyond Omokri’s response.

Odinkalu’s concerns centred on what he described as unusual transitions and production-style camera work in the video. He challenged the organisers to release footage showing Tinubu walking to the podium and a wide-angle view of the hall to help clarify the circumstances surrounding the address.

The competing accounts have made the original footage central to the dispute. While evidence of Tinubu’s physical presence would challenge claims that he was absent from the venue, questions about how the address was recorded, edited and broadcast must be assessed against the available footage and other verifiable evidence.

Omokri also criticised those questioning the speech, arguing that critics of the administration should focus on examining the substance of Tinubu’s address rather than disputing whether it was delivered live.

He described the speech as well received and said it highlighted the administration’s economic performance and achievements.

According to Omokri, Tinubu used the occasion to discuss Nigeria’s economic performance, including claims of sustained gross domestic product (GDP) growth above four per cent, 14 consecutive cycles of trade surpluses and Nigeria’s contribution to global economic growth in 2025.

Omokri also referred to claims about the performance of the Nigerian stock market, which he said had been described as the most profitable in the world, citing Bloomberg.

These economic figures and assessments were presented as part of Omokri’s defence of the President’s address. They require separate examination against the relevant economic data and reporting and should not be treated as independently verified merely because they were cited in the political exchange.

The former presidential aide argued that opposition figures should scrutinise the administration’s economic claims and present alternative assessments of its performance rather than focus on the recording controversy.

He accused critics of failing to provide what he considered a substantive response to the President’s address and described the pre-recording allegation as disappointing.

The dispute has brought renewed attention to Tinubu’s APC campaign council inauguration, the circumstances surrounding his address and the wider political debate over the administration’s record.