ADC faults proposed fuel tax

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu may announce the implementation of a fuel tax on inauguration day if re-elected, a move it claims could push the price of petrol above N1,500 per litre.

The party was reacting to disclosures made by Finance Minister Taiwo Oyedele on the sidelines of the IMF meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, that the government would introduce a fuel tax once economic conditions improve.

Reacting on Tuesday through its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said the government already has provision for the tax in law.

“They have already enacted the law for a 5% tax on fuel under the Nigeria Tax Act. And President Tinubu has signed it into law since June 2025. If they are not activating it yet, it is because of re-election. Once Tinubu is re-elected, he will announce the new tax law on the inauguration ground, just as he did for fuel subsidy in 2023,” Abdullahi said.

The party said that at a petrol price of N1,450 per litre, a 5% surcharge passed on to consumers would raise the price to N1,522.50, with severe implications for transportation, food distribution, small businesses, and household expenditure.

“This Tinubu-led APC never runs out of new ways to make survival more expensive. Each time Nigerians struggle to recover from one punishing policy, another burden is waiting around the corner. A government that has already removed fuel subsidies and subjected citizens to unprecedented economic pressures should be discussing relief, not preparing additional taxes,” the party said.

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The ADC questioned the justification that the tax would support road infrastructure and fuel-price stabilisation, saying Nigerians deserve measurable improvements before being saddled with additional obligations.

“We recall that as governor of Lagos State, in December 2003, Tinubu vehemently opposed the fuel tax being contemplated by the Obasanjo administration, describing it as ‘double taxation’ that placed unfair burden on citizens,” the party said.

The party urged Nigerians to consider the fuel production subsidy proposed by its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

“It’s the only way to bring down, not only the cost of fuel, but also the cost of living generally,” the party said.