The African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential campaign council has described President Bola Tinubu’s proposed 90-day cost-of-living relief plan as election bait, arguing that its timeline extends beyond the 2027 presidential election.
Phrank Shaibu, director of strategic communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, stated this while addressing a world press conference at the party’s secretariat.
Mr Shaibu said the presidential election was 86 days away, questioning why the government’s relief plan would run for 90 days.
He accused the administration of attempting to win public support with promises of economic relief after years of rising living costs.
“The message is simple: vote first; relief later,” he said, urging Nigerians to judge the government by their experiences since it assumed office in May 2023.
The proposed plan reportedly focuses on five areas: food affordability, tax harmonisation, completion of critical projects, removal of investment bottlenecks and household support.
Mr Shaibu said the priorities reflected problems Nigerians had repeatedly urged the government to address, arguing that the announcement alone could not reverse the effects of rising food prices, transportation costs and business closures.
He also criticised the government’s handling of the removal of petrol subsidy, saying measures to protect vulnerable households should have accompanied the policy.
According to him, the government imposed the immediate costs of the reform while leaving Nigerians to wait for its promised benefits.
Mr Shaibu also questioned President Tinubu’s expected visit to Kaduna State to launch his re-election campaign, citing security challenges, military airstrikes and natural disasters that have affected communities in the state.
He recalled the December 3, 2023, military drone strike in Tudun Biri, Kaduna State, which killed at least 85 people attending a Maulud celebration.
He also cited reports of civilian deaths in a military airstrike in Giwa in September 2024 and the impact of banditry and abductions on communities in Kajuru and Kachia.
The ADC campaign spokesman questioned the President’s absence from grieving families during previous tragedies, contrasting it with his planned political visit to the state.
He challenged the President to explain what had been done for victims of the Tudun Biri incident, the outcome of investigations into civilian deaths and measures to protect communities threatened by kidnappings.
Mr Shaibu also criticised the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited’s petrol discount promotion, which began on October 1, describing its impact as inadequate.
He claimed that during visits to NNPC retail stations, attendants told him no discount was available and that he bought petrol at N1,405 per litre.
He challenged the national oil company to publish figures showing the number of customers who benefited, the participating stations and the volume of petrol sold at discounted prices.
The spokesman further demanded details of the government’s proposed relief plan, including the food prices it intends to reduce, the tax charges to be harmonised, the projects to be completed and the criteria for household support.
He also raised concerns about a registration form circulating under the name “Arise for Tinubu 2027”, which he said requested voters’ identification, bank details and phone numbers.
He asked who was collecting the information, how it would be used and whether the exercise was connected to any publicly funded household support programme.
“No Nigerian should have to hand over voter or bank details to a political group to receive public relief,” he said.
Mr Shaibu said former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar had pledged to make Nigeria affordable through disciplined public spending, targeted household relief and measures to reduce the cost of producing and transporting essential goods.
He challenged the Tinubu administration to explain whether Nigerians were better off than they were in May 2023 and whether households would still be able to afford food after the 90-day relief period.
“Until he can answer both, Nigerians have every reason to see this 90-day exercise for what it is: a political timetable dressed up as economic relief,” he said.