Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu of offering Nigerians a “30-day discount” after three and a half years of rising fuel prices, soaring food costs and shrinking purchasing power, describing the intervention as an admission of economic policy failure and challenging the President to explain what happens when the relief expires.
Atiku made the remarks on Friday in Abuja while inaugurating the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking at the inauguration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja on October 9, Atiku framed the next presidential election as a contest over the cost of living, the credibility of economic reforms and the future of democratic accountability.
His message was direct: Nigerians, he argued, cannot be expected to endure rising food prices, expensive transportation, unreliable electricity and mounting business costs indefinitely while waiting for economic improvements that have yet to ease their daily struggles.
“Bola, thirty days cannot erase three and a half years of hardship,” Atiku declared, addressing Tinubu directly in a speech that combined policy arguments with sharp political attacks.
The ADC presidential candidate’s criticism centred on the Federal Government’s announcement of a 30-day petrol discount at Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) stations, with priority reportedly given to public transport operators.
For Atiku, the initiative represents more than a disagreement over fuel pricing. He presented it as evidence of what he considers a fundamental weakness in the administration’s economic approach: a failure to provide lasting relief to households and businesses grappling with higher costs.
A temporary discount against a prolonged crisis
Atiku’s strongest argument was that a short-term reduction in petrol prices cannot reverse the accumulated effects of prolonged inflation and rising operating costs.
Fuel prices influence much more than the cost of filling a vehicle. They affect the transportation of agricultural produce, the distribution of consumer goods, electricity generation by businesses relying on generators and the movement of workers between home and work.
When these costs rise, their effects spread throughout the economy, placing additional pressure on households already struggling to meet basic needs.
Atiku questioned whether the government’s proposed discount would translate into lower transport fares, cheaper food or reduced production costs for manufacturers.
He also asked what would happen after the 30-day period, arguing that families, farmers, transport operators and businesses needed predictable conditions to plan their finances and investments.
“Families cannot plan their meals around a temporary discount. Transporters cannot set stable fares on it. Businesses cannot invest or plan for the future on it,” he said.
The former vice-president portrayed the measure as a temporary palliative rather than a comprehensive economic intervention. His challenge to the government was straightforward: if the policy is intended to ease the burden on Nigerians, what mechanism will sustain the relief when the discount expires?
That question goes to the heart of the political argument surrounding economic reform. Immediate relief can help households manage a crisis, but its durability depends on the policy framework, funding arrangements and whether the benefits reach the people and businesses they are intended to support.
Atiku’s production subsidy proposal
Atiku used the occasion to revive his proposal for targeted support for petroleum products refined domestically and sold to Nigerian consumers.
He alleged that the Tinubu administration had previously dismissed his suggestion before announcing a temporary discount that, in his assessment, adopted part of the same principle without providing a sustainable framework.
The former vice-president insisted that his proposal was designed to support domestic refining while reducing the cost of petroleum products for consumers.
Under the framework he outlined, assistance would be restricted to products refined in Nigeria and sold locally. The support would be capped, included in the national budget and independently audited, with the costs and savings made available for public scrutiny.
“My alternative is clear. Support petroleum products actually refined in Nigeria and sold to Nigerians. Cap the support. Put it in the budget. Audit it independently,” he said.
The proposal attempts to link consumer relief with domestic production. By focusing support on locally refined products, the policy would seek to encourage domestic supply while making fuel more affordable.
However, its effectiveness would depend on important practical questions, including the cost of the intervention, the method of determining the support level, the capacity of domestic refineries, the mechanism for passing savings to consumers and safeguards against abuse.
These considerations would be central to assessing whether the proposal could deliver sustainable savings without creating excessive fiscal pressure.
Atiku argued that a properly designed scheme would give households more predictable relief and domestic producers a stronger incentive to increase output.
His broader criticism was that economic policy should be judged not by the announcement of a measure but by its ability to produce measurable and lasting benefits.
Beyond petrol: the wider cost-of-living crisis
Although fuel pricing dominated his address, Atiku acknowledged that petrol was only one part of Nigeria’s economic difficulties.
He called for action to make food affordable, improve electricity supply, create employment, expand business opportunities and strengthen security on roads and farms.
These issues are closely connected. High transport and energy costs can increase food prices, weaken the competitiveness of small businesses and discourage investment. Insecurity can disrupt farming, restrict access to markets and undermine agricultural production.
For households, the combined effect is felt in daily decisions over food, transportation, healthcare, education and other essential expenses.
Atiku argued that economic recovery must therefore be broad enough to address the pressures facing workers, farmers, traders, manufacturers and young people seeking employment.
“A speech about growth means nothing to a family that cannot afford dinner,” he said.
The statement captured the central theme of his address: the success of economic policy should ultimately be measured by whether it improves living conditions.
For the ADC, that message offers a political framework for challenging the administration’s record and presenting an alternative ahead of the 2027 election.
The challenge for the opposition, however, will be to translate broad promises of affordability, reliable power, employment and security into detailed proposals supported by credible funding and implementation plans.
A campaign built around economic accountability
The inauguration of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council provided Atiku with a platform to move from criticism of the government’s policies to the organisation of a nationwide political campaign.
He urged council members to take the party’s message to markets, motor parks, farms, campuses and streets, stressing the importance of listening to citizens and explaining how the ADC intended to address their concerns.
He also challenged the council to demonstrate readiness to govern rather than become preoccupied with titles and political status.
The message suggests that the party intends to place economic conditions at the centre of its campaign, using the cost of living as a point of connection with voters across different social and economic groups.
Atiku called on eligible Nigerians to participate in the election, describing the ballot as an instrument for determining whether the country’s economic direction should change.
His appeal comes as political parties prepare to make their cases to a population facing competing demands for economic stability, improved public services and accountable leadership.
For the ADC, the task will be to convince voters that its proposed alternatives can produce better outcomes than the current policy framework.
Electoral transparency becomes part of the agenda
Atiku also argued that economic promises would mean little without confidence in the electoral process.
He called for immediate public access to polling-unit results, live broadcasts of state and national collation centres, independent audits of election technology and stronger mechanisms for investigating electoral offences.
He maintained that accredited party agents, civil society organisations and election observers should be able to verify results independently without replacing the constitutional responsibilities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He further called for stronger penalties for vote suppression, result manipulation and electoral fraud.
The former vice-president also warned against restrictions on opposition campaigns, referring to an alleged attempt to prevent an opposition candidate from campaigning in Benue State.
He insisted that opposition parties should be able to reach voters throughout the country and said the ADC would challenge any unlawful restrictions through the courts and other lawful means.
By linking electoral transparency with economic accountability, Atiku broadened his campaign argument beyond the performance of the current administration. He presented credible elections as essential to ensuring that citizens can hold leaders accountable for the consequences of their policies.
The test ahead
Atiku’s address was combative, but its underlying political message was centred on a question confronting millions of Nigerians: when will economic policy translate into meaningful relief in their daily lives?
His criticism of the 30-day petrol discount placed the burden on the government to explain the measure’s expected impact, its limitations and what would follow when it ends.
His own production subsidy proposal, meanwhile, will require detailed scrutiny of its fiscal cost, targeting, safeguards and likely effects on domestic refining and consumer prices.
The wider campaign will also test whether the ADC can turn its promises on food affordability, electricity, employment and security into a coherent programme that voters consider credible.
At the inauguration, Atiku presented the 2027 election as an opportunity for Nigerians to decide whether the country’s current economic direction should continue or give way to an alternative.
His closing argument was unmistakable: temporary relief, he contended, cannot substitute for policies capable of making life affordable over the long term.
Whether that message gains traction will depend not only on public frustration with present conditions but also on the opposition’s ability to demonstrate how its proposed solutions would work in practice.