FACT-CHECK: Did Peter Obi Contradict Himself on Fuel Subsidy Removal in BBC Interview?
BY: Chukwuemeka Paschal
Claim:
In a viral BBC Pidgin interview posted on Meta (Facebook) on October 6, Peter Obi states that fuel subsidy is an issue of corruption and promises to retain or bring back fuel subsidy while removing the corruption associated with it. When questioned by the interviewer regarding whether this contradicts his past public statements advocating for subsidy removal, Obi denies changing his stance.
Verdict: MISLEADING.
Full Text:
In a video interview conducted by BBC Pidgin and posted across its Meta platform on October 6, former Labour Party presidential candidate and NDC presidential candidate for the Nigeria 2027 General Elections, Peter Obi discussed his stance on Nigeria’s fuel subsidy regimen. During the segment, the interviewer directly pointed out that his position seemed confusing or contradictory when compared to his previous campaign pronouncements, asking how voters could trust him.
Obi insisted that he has not changed his stance, arguing: “I go remove the corruption and retain subsidy… go check all my tapes from day one.”
Verification:
FactCheckAfrica findings reveal that Peter Obi’s claim of uninterrupted policy alignment (“go check all my tapes from day one”) is MISLEADING and directly conflicts with his documented public statements.
Explicit Advocacy and Tweet for Total Subsidy Removal (June 2023)
During the 2022–2023 presidential campaign and its immediate aftermath, Obi consistently labeled fuel subsidy as an “organized crime” and advocated for its complete removal.
In a report published by Channels Television, Obi explicitly stated,”I have consistently, maintained that we need to remove subsidy because for me is organised crime,”describing fuel subsidy as a criminal enterprise that should not be allowed to continue.
In an official post on X (formerly Twitter) (@PeterObi) on June 6, 2023, Obi tweeted that he had supported removing fuel subsidies since serving on former President Goodluck Jonathan’s Economic Management Team, adding: “I consistently maintained that subsidy should be removed because I see it as organized crime.”
Reiteration of Support for Subsidy Removal (August 2026)
As reported by Arise News in August 2026, Peter Obi explicitly supported the subsidy removal policy while speaking on national issues, arguing that the mismanagement of proceeds was “not a reason to reverse removal” and reiterating that eliminating the subsidy remained necessary.
Shift to “Retaining/Restoring” Subsidy (September–October 2026)
Despite his long-standing position, Obi recently pivoted to restoring the subsidy. In September 2026 as reported byArbiterz, speaking at a town hall meeting in Sokoto, Obi stated that his administration would bring back the subsidy after tackling leakages.
While Obi now frames his stance as a distinction between eliminating corruption versus retaining the financial cushion for consumers, his assertion that he never advocated for removing the subsidy contradicts his past public declarations explicitly calling for its total removal.
Conclusion:
The claim made by Peter Obi that he has been entirely consistent on the fuel subsidy issue without changing his stance is MISLEADING.
Documented news records and the BBC News Interview posted on Meta on October 6 show that while Obi previously championed the complete removal of fuel subsidy as an “organized crime,” his current position advocating to “retain” or “restore” the subsidy while eliminating corruption represents a documented shift from his earlier policy position.
