***warns petrol prices could hit N1,522.50 per litre,
Isaac Samuel
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has alleged that President Bola Tinubu may announce the implementation of a five per cent fuel tax on his inauguration day if re-elected, warning that petrol prices could rise above N1,500 per litre.
The party said the proposed tax could push petrol prices to N1,522.50 per litre, based on a current pump price of N1,450, further worsening the cost-of-living crisis and increasing transportation, food distribution and business costs.
The ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, stated this in a statement on Tuesday while reacting to comments by the Minister of Finance, Taiwo Oyedele, that the government would introduce the fuel tax when economic conditions improve.
Abdullahi alleged that the government was delaying the implementation of the tax for political reasons, claiming that the relevant provision had already been enacted under the Nigeria Tax Act and signed into law by Tinubu in June 2025.
“They have already enacted the law for a five per cent 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’s because of re-election,” he said.
“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,” he added.
The opposition party warned that passing the proposed surcharge directly to consumers would increase the financial burden on households and businesses already grappling with high living costs.
It said the additional levy could trigger further increases in transportation fares, food prices and the cost of operating small businesses, worsening the economic pressures facing millions of Nigerians.
“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,” the party said.
It added that the government should prioritise measures to ease economic hardship rather than introduce additional taxes following the removal of petrol subsidy.
The ADC questioned the administration’s justification that the proposed tax would support road infrastructure and fuel-price stabilisation, insisting that Nigerians deserved measurable improvements in infrastructure before being asked to bear additional costs.
Recalling Tinubu’s tenure as governor of Lagos State, the party said he opposed a fuel tax contemplated by the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in December 2003, describing it as “double taxation”.
The party accused Tinubu of abandoning that position, arguing that the proposed levy would further burden citizens struggling with rising transportation and food costs.
The ADC urged Nigerians to embrace what it described as the fuel production subsidy proposed by its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, saying the policy would help reduce petrol prices and the overall cost of living.
“It’s the only way to bring down, not only the cost of fuel, but also the cost of living generally,” the party said.
