Atiku faults FG’s 90-day cost-of-living plan timing, demands details

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has described the Federal Government’s 90-day cost-of-living relief plan as election bait, saying its timeline extends beyond the 2027 presidential election.

Atiku stated this in an address delivered on his behalf by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council, during a world press conference on Friday at the ADC Secretariat in Abuja.

Shaibu said the presidential election was 86 days away, while the National Economic Council had announced a plan that would run for 90 days.

“The arithmetic is plain: the plan ends after Nigerians have voted. 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.

According to him, the plan lists five priorities: food affordability, tax harmonisation, completion of important projects, removal of investment bottlenecks and household support.

Shaibu said these were issues Nigerians had been asking the government to address, noting that the removal of the petrol subsidy had predictable effects on transport, food and production costs.

“A government cannot put a 90-day deadline on hunger, the cost-of-living crisis and insecurity and call it an economic policy,” he said.

He also referenced President Bola Tinubu’s expected visit to Kaduna to launch his re-election campaign, recalling incidents of civilian deaths from military airstrikes and bandit attacks in the state.

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He cited the December 3, 2023, Army drone strike in Tudun Biri, in which at least 85 people were reportedly killed; the September 2024 incident in Giwa; abductions in Kajuru; and an attack in Kachia in September 2025, which affected 152 people. He also cited windstorms and floods in July and September 2025 that affected thousands.

“When families were burying their dead, searching for their children and clearing wreckage, Kaduna needed attention. Before asking Kaduna for another mandate, he should explain what has been done for victims,” Shaibu said.

On the fuel promotion, Shaibu claimed that he visited NNPC Retail stations and was told there was no discount. He said he bought petrol at N1,405 per litre and called on the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) to publish figures on the promotion.

“How many customers received the discount? At which stations? How many litres were sold at reduced price? Publish the figures,” he said.

He asked the government to provide details on the five priorities outlined in the plan.

On food affordability, Shaibu asked which costs would fall and when families would begin to see lower prices. On tax harmonisation, he demanded details of the charges to be removed and the publication of a full tax schedule.

Regarding important projects, he asked the government to identify those to be completed within 90 days and disclose their costs. He also sought details of the investment barriers to be removed and clarification on who would qualify for household support, how much they would receive and how payments would be made.

He also raised concerns about a registration form being distributed under the name “Arise for Tinubu 2027”, which reportedly requests voter identification, bank details and phone numbers. He questioned who was collecting the information and whether the exercise was connected to the household support programme.

“No Nigerian should have to hand over voter or bank details to a political group to receive public relief. The government must state clearly whether this registration exercise is connected to any publicly funded programme,” Shaibu said.

He said Atiku had pledged to make Nigeria more affordable through disciplined spending, targeted relief and lower production costs.

“President Tinubu made life expensive. Atiku Abubakar will make life affordable again,” Shaibu added.

He concluded by asking whether Nigerians were better off than they were in May 2023 and whether they would be able to afford food on the 91st day of the plan.