ADC Campaign Scuffs At FG’s Fuel Price Cut, Calls It ‘Bribe’

The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has dismissed the Federal Government’s decision to reduce petrol prices for 30 days as a “desperate, shameless and insulting” attempt to bribe Nigerians ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The council, in a statement on Thursday by its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, was reacting to the announcement by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, that Nigerians would enjoy reduced petrol prices at NNPC filling stations for the next 30 days.

The party said the temporary price cut was a political gimmick rather than genuine economic relief, accusing the administration of inflicting hardship on Nigerians for more than three years before suddenly reducing fuel prices as the 2027 elections approach.

“After over three years of subjecting Nigerians to excruciating pain through the reckless removal of fuel subsidy, the collapse of the naira and suffocating economic policies, the Tinubu administration now thinks it can bribe Nigerians with 30 days of cheaper fuel,” he said.

He asked what would happen after the 30-day window, questioning whether Nigerians would return to buying petrol at more than N1,400 per litre.

“What happens after 30 days? Will Nigerians return to buying petrol at over N1,400 per litre? This is not governance; this is deceit. It is a negotiated bribe designed to be reviewed monthly to suit the government’s political calendar,” Ologbondiyan said.

The ADC-PCC said the government’s action had vindicated its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, who had consistently challenged the administration’s economic policies, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy without adequate social protection.

According to the council, the sudden reduction showed that the government had the capacity to ease the burden of fuel costs but chose not to do so, leaving households, transporters and businesses to bear the consequences of high petrol prices.

“If the government can reduce the burden of fuel costs for 30 days, with priority given to public transport operators, why did it allow Nigerians to suffer for more than 800 days?” Ologbondiyan asked.

He said no temporary concession could erase the impact of rising inflation, hunger, unemployment, declining purchasing power and insecurity, insisting that Nigerians could not be bought with a one-month reduction in petrol prices.

“No one-month palliative can buy the conscience of Nigerians. Nigerians are not for sale. You cannot buy their future with 30 days of cheaper fuel,” he said.
The council urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and reject what it described as election-season gimmicks, while presenting the ADC and Atiku as an alternative committed to a “people-focused, accountable and responsible government” in 2027.