Fuel Pump Price: Makinde Proposes New Route to Cheaper Petrol, "Reset Nigeria"
- APM presidential candidate Seyi Makinde launched his campaign headquarters in Abuja and laid out his position on petroleum pricing
- Makinde called for crude oil supplied to Nigerian refineries to be priced differently from international market rates
- NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi made a surprise appearance at the event and backed Makinde's presidential bid
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Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over eight years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues.
FCT, Abuja - Seyi Makinde, Allied People's Movement (APM) presidential candidate in the 2027 elections, has ruled out any return to the petrol subsidy regime, instead calling for a new framework under which Nigerians would benefit directly from the country's crude oil through cheaper domestic supply to refineries.
As reported by The Nation, Makinde made the remarks on Monday, September 7, 2026, during the inauguration of the APM's presidential campaign headquarters in Abuja, where he was careful to separate his proposal from a subsidy restoration.
Source: Facebook
"That is not my position," the Oyo governor said, arguing that the benefit of Nigeria's oil wealth should be built into petroleum pricing from the point at which crude is supplied for domestic refining.
"My question is, why should crude oil supplied to Nigerian refineries be priced as though Nigeria does not produce crude oil?"
Makinde's 'reset Nigeria' agenda
Per Daily Trust, Makinde stated that the current system layers costs across refining, transportation, distribution and taxation before any intervention is applied at the pump, making relief opaque and inefficient. He argued that pricing domestic crude differently would lower the underlying cost of refined products in a more transparent way.
Makinde also demanded accountability across the entire petroleum value chain. "Nigerians should know what they are paying for, who receives what, and where inefficiencies are increasing the final price," he said, noting he had raised the issue consistently at the National Economic Council.
The proposal sits within his broader 'Reset Nigeria' agenda, which he described as a commitment to ensuring the country's natural resources translate into real benefits for citizens.
"Reset Nigeria means we stop accepting systems that nobody can explain. If they explain, we can contribute," he said.
Makinde dismissed suggestions that his presidential bid lacked electoral prospects, drawing on his experience of being underestimated before his first gubernatorial victory in Oyo state.
"They may discount one candidate, whether myself or Governor Peter Obi; they may discount us. They may say, 'These people don't mean anything.' But they cannot discount millions of Nigerians united behind a better future," he said.
Peter Obi backs Makinde
Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi arrived at the event unexpectedly, to the surprise of the organisers, and declared that Makinde was qualified to contest the 2027 election.
"We want the people of Nigeria to make their choice. Whoever they choose, all of us will come together to build a new Nigeria," Obi said, citing hunger, poverty and insecurity as the problems any future government must prioritise.
Former Niger Governor Aliyu Babangida, who said he represented the legitimate Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), called for opposition unity and argued that security must come first before economic development, agriculture or education could advance. He also backed the position that the South should produce the next president following eight years of northern presidency.
APM Vice-Presidential candidate Mamman Daura described Makinde as one of Nigeria's finest human resources, while APM National Chairman Yusuf Dantalle said the inauguration marked the formal start of the party's push for the 2027 presidency.
Check out pictures from the commissioning of the APM's campaign office in Abuja below via X:
384 candidates drag APM to court
Previously, Legit.ng reported that hundreds of APM candidates in Oyo state took the party to court to block any attempt to rerun the primaries that produced them as the party's flag bearers for the forthcoming local government elections.
The 33 chairmanship and 351 councillorship candidates, who emerged from primaries held across the state on August 3, 2026, filed the suit at the Federal High Court in Ibadan.
They named the APM, its National Chairman, the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC), and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as defendants. Read more:
Source: Legit.ng
