67.4% OF NIGERIANS DEMAND RETURN OF FUEL SUBSIDY — ATIKU
A new voter sentiment survey has found that 67.4 per cent of respondents want the Federal Government to restore petrol subsidy, as the rising cost of fuel continues to feature prominently among Nigerians’ concerns ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The finding is contained in the second wave of the Nigeria 2027 Voter Sentiment Tracker by SBM Intelligence. The survey involved face-to-face interviews with 1,103 eligible voters across 12 states and the Federal Capital Territory, covering the country’s six geopolitical zones.
According to the report, petrol has emerged as the second-most cited national problem, with 18.2 per cent of respondents identifying it as a major concern. The current petrol pricing policy also recorded a 67.4 per cent rejection rate among respondents, while 19.2 per cent supported the policy direction.
The survey showed that concerns over petrol prices were particularly high in the South-West, where 30.5 per cent of respondents identified it as their leading concern, and the South-South, where it accounted for 29.1 per cent. Among rural respondents, 32.4 per cent identified petrol as their primary concern, compared with 11.7 per cent of urban respondents.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has also spoken in favour of measures aimed at reducing petrol prices, proposing a production subsidy for locally refined petrol. He has said such an approach could help reduce fuel and transportation costs.
However, the survey authors cautioned that the findings represent a snapshot of the views of those interviewed and should not be treated as a prediction of the 2027 election outcome. The report also noted that the survey did not adjust for historical voter turnout, population projections or INEC voter-registration figures.
