By TheDailyNewsHub
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised the rising price of petrol in Nigeria, warning that the latest increase is pushing households and businesses “dangerously close to the limits of human endurance.”
In a statement issued on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said petrol was selling for as much as ₦1,470 per litre in some locations, arguing that the increase was putting additional pressure on the cost of transportation, food, education, electricity and other essentials.
The ADC accused the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of failing to adequately protect Nigerians from the impact of its economic policies.
“President Tinubu has turned the petrol pump into an instrument of punishment for everyday Nigerians,” the party said, adding that higher fuel costs were feeding into the prices of goods and services.
The opposition party also raised concerns over reports that some private schools had increased fees by between 30 and 40 per cent. It argued that many parents had not experienced comparable increases in their incomes and were therefore facing additional financial pressure.
The ADC said it did not blame school proprietors for the increases, noting that they were also dealing with higher operating costs, including taxes, electricity, fuel, rent and salaries.
The party described the situation as evidence of what it considers the shortcomings of the Federal Government’s economic reforms.
“A reform that continuously makes the people poorer is not working,” the ADC said, arguing that economic policies should be measured not only by government economic indicators but also by their effects on households.
The party further claimed that some families were being forced to make difficult choices involving food, school fees and medical treatment, while some businesses were struggling to remain operational. These are claims made by the ADC, rather than independently established statistics contained in the statement.
The ADC also linked the debate over fuel prices to the 2027 general election, saying its presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, had proposed bringing back petrol subsidy as part of a broader approach to reducing the cost of fuel and supporting domestic production.
The party argued that cheaper petrol would help reduce transportation, food and production costs.
The statement comes amid separate criticism of the latest petrol price increase from Atiku. In a statement issued through his media aide, Atiku questioned the justification for Nigerians paying as much as ₦1,470 per litre and called for greater transparency over government revenues, deductions and savings associated with the removal of petrol subsidy.
The ₦1,470 figure cited by the ADC has also been reported by multiple Nigerian news outlets as a price being charged in some locations, rather than necessarily a uniform pump price across the country.
The ADC concluded its statement by warning the Tinubu administration not to interpret Nigerians’ resilience as acceptance of the economic situation.
“President Tinubu must act now. Don’t push Nigerians to their limits,” the party said.
The statement is part of the growing political debate over the impact of petrol prices and wider economic reforms ahead of the 2027 elections. The ADC’s assertions about the effects of the reforms are political claims and should be distinguished from independently verified economic data.