Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s presidential campaign council under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has described President Bola Tinubu’s 90-day cost-of-living relief plan as “election bait”, questioning its timing and demanding details of how the measures will benefit Nigerians.
The council’s Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, made the position known on Friday at a world press conference at the party’s secretariat.
Shaibu argued that with the presidential election 86 days away, the government’s 90-day timeline would run beyond election day, leaving Nigerians to wait for relief after casting their ballots.
“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.
He urged Nigerians to assess the administration by its economic record rather than promises announced ahead of the election.
The government’s plan identifies five priorities: food affordability, tax harmonisation, completion of key projects, removal of investment bottlenecks and household support.
But Shaibu said these were longstanding challenges that should have been addressed earlier, pointing to rising food and transport costs, mounting pressure on manufacturers and business closures.
He also faulted the administration’s handling of petrol subsidy removal, arguing that measures to protect vulnerable households should have accompanied the reform.
According to him, the government imposed the immediate costs of the policy on Nigerians while asking them to wait for its benefits.
“A government cannot put a 90-day deadline on hunger, the cost-of-living crisis and insecurity and call it an economic policy,” Shaibu said.
The ADC campaign official also questioned Tinubu’s planned visit to Kaduna to launch his re-election campaign, citing the state’s experience with civilian casualties from military airstrikes, abductions, insecurity and natural disasters.
He recalled the December 3, 2023, military drone strike on civilians attending a Maulud celebration in Tudun Biri, which killed at least 85 people. He also cited a reported military airstrike in Giwa in September 2024 that allegedly killed at least 24 civilians.
Shaibu further referred to a September 2025 attack involving kidnappings in Kachia and storms and flooding that affected communities across Kaduna State.
He challenged the President to explain what his administration had done for victims of the incidents and what measures had been introduced to protect residents from abductions.
Shaibu also questioned claims of fuel-price relief through a discount promotion introduced by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) on October 1.
He said he visited NNPC retail stations but was told no discount was available, adding that he subsequently bought petrol at ₦1,405 per litre.
He called on the company to publish details of the promotion, including the number of motorists who benefited, participating stations and the volume of petrol sold at discounted prices.
Shaibu also questioned the reach of a reported ₦66-per-litre discount, noting that NNPC operates about 900 retail stations in a country with thousands of fuel outlets.
Turning to the 90-day plan, he demanded specific details on how the government intends to implement each of its five priorities.
On food affordability, he asked which costs would be reduced for farmers, transporters and traders, when consumers would begin to see lower market prices and how any reductions would be sustained beyond the 90-day period.
He also called for the publication of the proposed tax harmonisation measures, a list of projects scheduled for completion within 90 days and an explanation of how the government intends to remove barriers affecting manufacturers and investors.
On household support, Shaibu demanded disclosure of the eligibility criteria, payment amounts, commencement dates, funding arrangements and plans for beneficiaries after the initiative expires.
He also raised concerns about a registration form circulating under the name “Arise for Tinubu 2027”, which he said requested voter identification, bank details and phone numbers.
Shaibu asked who was collecting the information, how it would be used and whether the exercise was connected to the proposed household support programme.
He insisted that Nigerians should not have to surrender sensitive personal information to a political group to access public relief, urging the government to explain how it would prevent the misuse of personal data or public assistance for political purposes.
Shaibu said Atiku had pledged to make Nigeria more affordable through disciplined public spending, targeted household assistance, lower costs of producing and transporting essential goods, and policies to help local manufacturers expand and create jobs.
He argued that economic policies should be judged by their impact on household purchasing power rather than government announcements.
The ADC campaign council urged Nigerians to demand evidence that the promised relief would reach households and remain effective beyond the election period.
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