The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has alleged that President Bola Tinubu’s administration could implement a proposed 5 per cent gas tax after the 2027 presidential election if he’s re-elected, warning that the measure may push petrol costs above N1,500 per litre and worsen the cost-of-living disaster.
The celebration was reacting to the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele’s, disclosure on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) conferences in Bangkok, Thailand, that the federal government would introduce the gas tax when financial circumstances improved.
ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, alleged that the administration’s intention was to activate the tax after securing re-election.
“They have already enacted the legislation for a 5 per cent tax on gas below the Nigeria Tax Act. And President Tinubu has signed it into legislation since June 2025. If they haven’t activated it but, it’s due to 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 stated.
The celebration warned that if the 5 per cent surcharge had been handed on to customers, petrol promoting at N1,450 per litre would rise to N1,522.50, with doubtlessly far-reaching penalties for transportation, meals distribution, small companies and family expenditure.
“This Tinubu-led APC by no means runs out of recent methods to make survival dearer. Each time Nigerians wrestle to get well from one punishing coverage, one other burden is ready across the nook.
“A government that has already removed fuel subsidies and subjected citizens to unprecedented economic pressures should be discussing relief, not preparing additional taxes,” the celebration stated.
The ADC additionally questioned the administration’s justification that the proposed tax would help highway infrastructure and fuel-price stabilisation, insisting that Nigerians deserved measurable enhancements in public companies and infrastructure earlier than being requested to shoulder further monetary burdens.
The celebration recalled that Tinubu, as governor of Lagos State, had opposed a gas tax being contemplated by the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in December 2003, describing it as “double taxation” that positioned an unfair burden on residents.
“Now, Tinubu does not care if the people are burdened to death,” the ADC stated.
The celebration urged Nigerians to embrace the gas manufacturing subsidy proposed by its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, arguing that the coverage would scale back petrol costs and ease the broader cost-of-living disaster.
“It’s the only way to bring down, not only the cost of fuel, but also the cost of living generally,” the celebration stated.
Chuks Okocha
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