Abubakar Malami, the African Democratic Congress governorship candidate in Kebbi State, has backed the restoration of fuel subsidy, saying the removal has deepened hardship in the Northwest.

Malami spoke in Abuja on Tuesday while signing the Northwest ADC Governorship Candidates’ Compact for 2027–2031.

He said the seven ADC governorship candidates in the region supported the pledge by the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to restore the subsidy as an immediate step against poverty.

The candidates called on President Bola Tinubu to reverse the policy. They said the expected gains of removal had not improved living conditions and linked the strain to rising hunger in the region.

Tinubu ended the subsidy in May 2023. Transport and food costs rose sharply afterwards. The government and APC spokesmen argue that bringing the subsidy back would revive the fiscal drain and benefit fuel cartels.

A recent academic warning also said many northern states that depend on federation allocations could struggle if subsidy spending returned.

Malami was attorney-general under Muhammadu Buhari, whose government kept a subsidy regime that critics said was riddled with abuse. His present position is a campaign line aligned with Atiku, not a new official policy. The compact is a regional opposition platform ahead of 2027.