Peter Obi: Buhari Was Not in Charge, I’ll Tackle Corruption If Elected

Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has pledged to fight corruption and reform the country’s fuel subsidy system if elected president in the 2027 general elections.

Obi said his anti-corruption campaign would begin with him and his immediate family, arguing that political leaders must first ensure that they and their relatives are not benefiting from corrupt practices.

According to him, removing corruption from the highest levels of government would significantly reduce the problem across the country.

“If you are not stealing, if you are not involved, your wife and family are not involved, you reduce it by 50 percent,” Obi said.

The former Anambra State governor made the remarks during an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) African Service, which was published on Tuesday through X.

Obi also criticised former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, saying Buhari could not fully deliver on his anti-corruption agenda because he lacked sufficient control over those working under him.

“He was not in charge. The difference is this: I will be in charge,” Obi said.

Obi speaks on opposition strategy for 2027

Speaking about the 2027 presidential election, Obi said opposition parties should concentrate less on negotiations over a single presidential candidate and instead work towards increasing voter participation.

He argued that the opposition should focus on mobilising millions of additional voters rather than pressuring candidates to withdraw from the race in favour of another contender.

“In the last elections, Sokoto had over 2 million registered voters. Opposition should be talking about how do we get additional 25 million people to come in and vote. We don’t need to step down,” he said.

Obi explains position on fuel subsidy

On the controversy surrounding his position on fuel subsidy removal, Obi maintained that his stance had not changed.

He said his concern had consistently been the corruption associated with the subsidy system, rather than the policy itself.

“I have not changed on fuel subsidy. What has changed is that whenever I talk about methodology, people say, ‘Oh, he has changed.’ From day one that I talked about subsidy, I talked about corruption. Corruption is the problem of subsidy,” he said.

When asked whether he would restore the subsidy if elected president, Obi answered in the affirmative, but stressed that such a system would have to be free from the corruption that previously surrounded its implementation.

“Yes, but not with the corruption associated with it. That’s why I said I will remove the corruption and retain the subsidy,” he said.