The presidential campaign council of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s 90-day cost-of-living relief plan, describing it as “election bait” and demanding clear details of how the proposed measures will ease the hardship facing Nigerians.
The council’s Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, made the position known on Friday during a world press conference at the party’s secretariat.
Shaibu questioned the timing of the initiative, arguing that with the presidential election just 86 days away, the government’s 90-day timeline would extend beyond election day.
“After three and a half years of hardship, this government is asking families to carry another promise into the polling booth and wait for relief until the votes are counted,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to judge the Tinubu administration by its economic performance rather than promises announced shortly before the election.
The Federal Government’s 90-day plan outlines five priority areas: making food more affordable, harmonising taxes, completing key projects, removing barriers to investment and providing support for households.
However, Shaibu argued that these were longstanding problems that should have been addressed earlier, pointing to rising food and transportation costs, growing pressure on manufacturers and the closure of businesses.
He also criticised the government’s handling of petrol subsidy removal, arguing that measures to protect vulnerable households should have accompanied the policy from the beginning.
According to him, Nigerians were made to bear the immediate costs of the reform while being asked to wait for its promised benefits.
“A government cannot put a 90-day deadline on hunger, the cost-of-living crisis and insecurity and call it an economic policy,” Shaibu said.
The ADC campaign official also questioned Tinubu’s planned visit to Kaduna to launch his re-election campaign, citing the state’s history of civilian casualties from military airstrikes, kidnappings, insecurity and natural disasters.
He recalled the December 3, 2023, military drone strike on civilians attending a Maulud celebration in Tudun Biri, which killed at least 85 people. He also referred to a reported military airstrike in Giwa in September 2024 that allegedly killed at least 24 civilians.
Shaibu further cited reported kidnappings in Kachia in September 2025, as well as storms and flooding that affected communities across Kaduna State.
He challenged the President to explain what his administration had done for victims of these incidents and what measures had been introduced to protect residents from further abductions.
Shaibu also questioned the effectiveness of a fuel discount promotion reportedly introduced by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) on October 1.
He said he visited NNPC retail stations but was informed that no discount was available. He added that he eventually purchased petrol at ₦1,405 per litre.
The ADC official called on the national oil company to publish details of the promotion, including the number of motorists who benefited, the participating stations and the volume of petrol sold at discounted prices.
He also questioned how widely a reported ₦66-per-litre discount could benefit Nigerians, given that NNPC operates about 900 retail stations in a country with thousands of fuel outlets.
Turning to the government’s 90-day relief plan, Shaibu demanded specific explanations of how each of its five priorities would be implemented.
On food affordability, he asked which costs would be reduced for farmers, transporters and traders, when consumers could expect lower market prices and how any reductions would be sustained after the 90-day period.
He also called for the publication of the proposed tax harmonisation measures, a list of projects expected to be completed within 90 days and details of how the government planned to remove obstacles facing manufacturers and investors.
Regarding household support, Shaibu demanded information on eligibility requirements, payment amounts, commencement dates, funding arrangements and what would happen to beneficiaries once the initiative ended.
The ADC campaign council also raised concerns about a registration form circulating under the name “Arise for Tinubu 2027”. Shaibu said the form requested voter identification, bank details and phone numbers.
He questioned who was collecting the information, how it would be used and whether the exercise was connected to the proposed household support programme.
Shaibu insisted that Nigerians should not be required to surrender sensitive personal information to a political group to access public assistance. He urged the government to explain how it would prevent the misuse of personal data or the use of public relief for political purposes.
The campaign official also outlined Atiku’s proposed approach to easing economic hardship, saying the former vice-president had pledged to make Nigeria more affordable through disciplined public spending, targeted household assistance and lower costs of producing and transporting essential goods.
He added that policies to help local manufacturers expand and create jobs would form part of the approach.
Shaibu argued that the success of economic policies should be measured by their impact on household purchasing power rather than government announcements.
The ADC campaign council concluded by urging Nigerians to demand evidence that the proposed relief would reach households and continue to deliver benefits beyond the election period.
