PRP Presidential candidate, Donald Duke
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Donald Duke, has promised to reduce the pump price of petrol to about ₦300 per litre if he wins the 2027 presidential election.
The former Cross River State governor made the promise on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, where he outlined his economic plans and criticised the current fuel pricing system.
Explaining how he intends to achieve the proposed reduction, Duke said Nigeria produces enough crude oil to support cheaper fuel for local consumers if managed properly.
“I will try and bring it to about ₦300. It sounds so outlandish, but I have given you the arithmetic because if you allocate 600,000 barrels, if that is what is consumed daily, allocate that to yourself; the other 1,000,000 you can sell,” Duke said.
The PRP candidate also said he would not continue President Bola Tinubu’s approach to fuel pricing if elected, insisting that his administration would focus on productivity and policies that improve the lives of Nigerians.
“I won’t inherit his policies; you know, for me, productivity is everything, as I said, within a safe and orderly environment,” he said.
Speaking on fuel subsidy, Duke described the current arrangement as a “scam” and argued that petroleum products meant for Nigerians should be sold based on production costs rather than international market prices.
“The subsidy regime thing, this whole scam…I’m going to price petroleum products for local consumption at production cost, not at the international market because that’s so far rigid. It sounds too simple and basic, but it’s so deep because you have been given a production cost of $45, the international price.”
“That’s $45, including processing, refining; otherwise, it is about $30, and it’s sold back to your own people at $100 and more. You don’t want them to breathe, and your people are known to be the poorest in the world; they can’t afford it.”
Duke also linked high fuel prices to the hardship facing many workers, saying the current minimum wage is not enough to meet basic transportation needs.
“The basic minimum wage is 70,000; will your salary go in just filling a tank of fuel or some fuel? So, we have got to look at it,” he said.
Fuel prices and the cost of living are expected to remain major issues ahead of the 2027 general election, with political parties expected to present different economic plans on energy, inflation, and workers’ welfare as they seek the support of Nigerian voters.
