Tinubu May Annouce Fuel Tax Implementation on Inauguration Day If Re-elected – ADC Warns
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has warned that the proposed five per cent fuel tax could push petrol prices above ₦1,500 per litre, worsening the cost-of-living crisis if President Bola Tinubu is re-elected in 2027.
The opposition party alleged that the administration could activate the tax after securing a second term, potentially announcing its implementation on inauguration day, similar to Tinubu’s announcement on fuel subsidy removal on May 29, 2023.
The ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, made the allegation in a statement issued on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, in response to comments by the Minister of Finance, Taiwo Oyedele, on the planned introduction of a fuel tax.
Oyedele had reportedly disclosed on the sidelines of an International Monetary Fund meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, that the government would introduce the tax when economic conditions improved.
Abdullahi, however, alleged that the delay in implementing the measure was politically motivated, claiming that the government intended to proceed with it after the next presidential election.
“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 is because of re-election,” Abdullahi said.
He added, “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.”
The ADC warned that the proposed levy could further increase transportation costs, food prices, business operating expenses and household spending.
According to the party, if petrol sells for ₦1,450 per litre, a five per cent surcharge passed directly to consumers would increase the price to ₦1,522.50 per litre.
The party argued that the additional cost would place further pressure on Nigerians already grappling with high living expenses following the removal of fuel subsidies.
“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 statement said.
The ADC maintained that the government should prioritise measures to ease economic hardship rather than introduce additional financial burdens on citizens.
The party also questioned the administration’s justification for the proposed tax, particularly its stated objectives of supporting road infrastructure and fuel-price stabilisation.
It argued that Nigerians should be able to assess measurable improvements in infrastructure and economic conditions before being asked to bear additional costs.
The opposition party further accused Tinubu of adopting a different position on fuel taxation from the one he reportedly held during his tenure as governor of Lagos State.
According to the statement, Tinubu opposed a fuel tax contemplated by the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in December 2003, describing it as “double taxation” that would unfairly burden citizens.
The ADC said the proposed levy contradicted that earlier position and accused the current administration of disregarding the economic difficulties facing Nigerians.
The party called on Nigerians to support what it described as a production subsidy proposed by its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, arguing that the measure would help reduce petrol prices and the broader cost of living.
The statement was signed by Abdullahi, the party’s national publicity secretary.
