Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), has declared that if elected in 2027 he will reverse the fuel subsidy removal introduced by President Bola Tinubu and introduce a national minimum wage of ₦500,000 per month.
In a post on his official X handle on Monday, the activist and former presidential candidate stated firmly: “Attempts to water down our proposal for a ₦500,000 monthly living wage with funny statistics will not change our position. Under our government, Nigerian workers will earn a minimum wage of at least ₦500,000 monthly. We will also restore the petrol subsidy. Workers deserve wages they can actually live on.”
Sowore’s pledge comes amid an intensifying national debate over the economic and social impact of the 2023 fuel subsidy removal. Several other presidential hopefuls have already taken positions on the issue.
African Democratic Congress (ADC) flagbearer Atiku Abubakar has indicated he would restore a form of subsidy, specifically one targeted at domestic refiners. In contrast, Labour Party’s Peter Obi and Allied Peoples Movement (APM) candidate Seyi Makinde have ruled out a return to the previous subsidy regime. Makinde has instead proposed a system of cheaper domestic crude pricing for Nigerian refineries.
Sowore’s dual promises of full subsidy restoration and a sharp increase in the minimum wage position the AAC candidate as one of the most radical voices so far in the emerging 2027 conversation on cost of living and energy policy.
