The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council has accused the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government of attempting to win Nigerians’ support ahead of the 2027 elections through a temporary reduction in petrol prices at Nigerian National Petroleum Company filling stations.
The council described the 30-day price reduction as an electoral ploy, arguing that it would offer only temporary relief to Nigerians struggling with the rising cost of living.
The ADC-PCC Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, stated this in a statement reacting to the announcement by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele.
Ologbondiyan said the administration had subjected Nigerians to prolonged economic hardship through its policies, including the removal of the petrol subsidy and the depreciation of the naira.
“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 added, “Nigerians will reject your one-month bribe.”
The ADC campaign council questioned the sustainability of the price reduction, asking what would happen when the 30-day period expires.
“What happens after 30 days? Will Nigerians return to buying petrol at over N1,400 per litre?” Ologbondiyan asked.
He described the measure as a political gimmick rather than a lasting solution to the economic difficulties facing the country.
“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 opposition campaign council also argued that the temporary reduction had raised questions about the government’s response to the hardship caused by high petrol prices.
Ologbondiyan said the government’s ability to offer relief, particularly to public transport operators, raised concerns about why Nigerians had endured high fuel costs for an extended period.
“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?” he asked.
The council also used the development to defend the position of its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, who had criticised the removal of the petrol subsidy without adequate social protection for vulnerable Nigerians.
“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 said.
He maintained that temporary relief would not address the wider economic challenges confronting households and businesses.
The ADC campaign council further warned the Federal Government against assuming that a short-term reduction in petrol prices would influence voters’ decisions in the 2027 general elections.
“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 that Nigerians would use the 2027 elections to express their dissatisfaction with the administration’s economic policies.
The Federal Government’s announced 30-day petrol price reduction is expected to draw further scrutiny over its duration, coverage and impact on transport costs and the prices of goods and services.
However, the ADC campaign council’s allegations of an electoral motive remain the opposition party’s position. The statement did not provide independent evidence that the price reduction was introduced specifically to influence voters ahead of the 2027 elections.
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