Fuel price cut: ‘Nigerians will reject your one-month bribe’ – ADC tells Tinubu

The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has criticised the Federal Government’s decision to reduce petrol prices at NNPC filling stations for 30 days, describing the move as a temporary measure ahead of the 2027 general election.

The council was reacting to comments by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, announcing that Nigerians would benefit from reduced petrol prices for the next month.

In a statement on Thursday, ADC-PCC Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the decision amounted to an admission that the government’s economic policies had imposed severe hardship on Nigerians.

“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. Nigerians will reject your one-month bribe,” he said.

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Ologbondiyan questioned what would happen when the 30-day period expired, asking whether petrol prices would return to more than N1,400 per litre.

He said, “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.

“It is an insult to millions of Nigerian families who can no longer afford basic necessities, small businesses struggling to survive and transporters who have been crippled by the astronomical cost of fuel.”

The ADC-PCC also praised its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, for his continued criticism of the Federal Government’s economic policies, particularly the removal of the fuel subsidy without what the council described as adequate social protection.

The council said the latest reduction supported Atiku’s previous argument that Nigerians could have access to petrol at significantly lower prices.

According to Ologbondiyan, “We commend our presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, for boldly exposing the failures of this oppressive government and for promising to restore a humane and responsible approach to fuel subsidy management in the interest of the Nigerian people.

“The government has now, albeit belatedly, come to terms with the reality that subsidy removal without adequate safety nets was a grave policy error.

“Atiku was right all along. This half-hearted 30-day gimmick is proof that the government has finally acknowledged the truth, although it has done so too late and in a deceitful manner.”

Ologbondiyan further argued that the temporary reduction raised questions about why Nigerians had been left to cope with high fuel costs for more than 800 days.

“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?

“This proves that the government has always had the capacity to make life easier for Nigerians but chose not to do so and only remembers the suffering masses when elections are around the corner.”

He said the temporary relief would not erase the economic difficulties Nigerians had experienced, including inflation, hunger, unemployment, reduced purchasing power and insecurity.

“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.

“They have seen through this fraud. They know the difference between genuine governance and a one-month electoral bribe. They have resolved to vote out hardship and hunger in 2027,” he said.

The council urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and resist being swayed by temporary concessions, while presenting the ADC as an alternative under Atiku Abubakar’s leadership.

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