The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has criticised the Federal Government’s 30-day petrol price reduction, describing it as an attempt to win public support ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The council’s reaction followed the announcement by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, that petrol would be sold at reduced prices at Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) stations for an initial 30 days.
The ADC campaign council argued that the temporary reduction came after years of rising fuel costs and economic hardship linked to government policies.
In a statement issued by its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, the council accused the Tinubu administration of trying to use short-term relief to ease growing public anger.
“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,” Ologbondiyan said.
The ADC campaign also questioned what Nigerians should expect when the temporary arrangement ends.
“What happens after 30 days? Will Nigerians return to buying petrol at over N1,400 per litre?” he asked.
Ologbondiyan argued that the intervention should not be presented as a lasting economic solution, describing it instead as a politically motivated measure.
“This is not governance; this is deceit. It is a negotiated bribe designed to be reviewed monthly to suit the government’s political calendar,” he said.
The council also praised its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, for previously criticising the removal of fuel subsidy without adequate measures to protect Nigerians from its effects.
According to Ologbondiyan, the latest government intervention supports Atiku’s earlier argument that relief measures could have been introduced alongside the subsidy removal.
“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,” he said.
The ADC campaign further questioned why Nigerians had faced high fuel costs for more than two years if the government could now provide temporary relief.
“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 accused the government of having the ability to reduce the burden on Nigerians but choosing to act only when political pressure was increasing.
“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 ADC campaign council maintained that Nigerians would not exchange their political support for a short-term reduction in petrol prices.
“No one-month palliative can buy the conscience of Nigerians,” Ologbondiyan said.
“Nigerians are not for sale. You cannot buy their future with 30 days of cheaper fuel,” he added.
He further claimed that Nigerians could distinguish between genuine economic reforms and temporary election-season relief.
“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,” Ologbondiyan said.
The ADC campaign’s comments come as political parties and opposition figures increasingly scrutinise the Federal Government’s new measures aimed at reducing the impact of high fuel prices ahead of the 2027 elections.
Source: ADC Presidential Campaign Council
