Peter Obi Cancels His Subscription to Subsidy Removal, Promises to Restore Petrol Subsidy Right After He Fixes Corruption

Do you remember that friend who spent all of August telling you to stop buying things you cannot afford, and then arrived in September with a shopping bag and a smile? That is the energy in the Obi camp today.

Peter Obi has reportedly promised to restore the petrol subsidy if elected in 2027, reversing his previous position on the policy. Just weeks ago, he told a room of lawyers, "I subscribe, and I maintain that we need to remove the subsidy." Well, it appears he has now cancelled the subscription and stopped maintaining.

To be fair, there is a condition. He says he will first tackle the corruption in the system, and then bring the subsidy back. This is a very sensible plan, because "first we fix corruption" is a project that has been scheduled to finish since independence, and the contractor says it is ninety percent complete.

Supporters are calling it flexibility. Critics are calling it a U-turn. Taxi drivers are calling it nothing, because they have been busy complaining about petrol since 2023.

Meanwhile, the Obi we know is a careful man. This is the man who flies economy, counts every naira, and has probably checked whether the subsidy comes in a cheaper size. So when such a man changes his mind, you know the numbers have spoken. Or the voters have.

And honestly, who can blame him? Every politician eventually learns that Nigerians will forgive many things. They will forgive broken roads, broken promises, and broken generators. They will not forgive the pump price. The pump price follows you to church, to the wedding, and into your dreams.

Opponents say a man who changes his position on subsidy can change it again after the election. Supporters say that is unfair. He has only changed it once, and everyone is entitled to one adjustment, like at the tailor.

Commuters, for their part, have asked a very simple question. If the subsidy is returning, when does the old price return? So far, nobody has answered, which is how you know the question is a good one.

Political analysts say the lesson is clear: in Nigerian politics, a principle is like a new pair of shoes. It looks very good in the shop and very different after you have walked a few miles on bad roads.

Nobody has yet explained what the new plan costs, how it will be paid for, or whether the old subsidy and the new subsidy are the same thing. Details, we are told, will arrive soon, probably on the same day as the permanent end of corruption.

Until then, drivers are advised to fill their tanks, keep their receipts, and subscribe to nothing.