The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has rejected President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to approve a 15 percent import duty on petrol and diesel, saying it will worsen the economic hardship already facing Nigerians.

In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said, “This fuel tax is both insensitive and misguided, and makes one wonder if the APC government ever considers the pains that its policies have continued to inflict on the people.”

The ADC said while it supports private investments in Nigeria’s energy sector, any policy designed to protect such investments should also protect the people and put their welfare first.

The party questioned the justification for the levy, noting that the Port Harcourt refinery—meant to drive local refining—collapsed just five months after a $1.5 billion rehabilitation, causing a loss of ₦366.2 billion.

According to the statement, “From all indications, this new levy is likely to push the pump price of petrol beyond ₦1,000 per litre. If this happens, life would become even more unbearable for families, commuters, transporters, farmers, and small businesses already struggling under the weight of fuel subsidy removal without social protection and currency devaluation without safeguards.”

ADC accused the Tinubu administration of running an economy that “condemns the majority to a life of hardship and misery,” warning that such policies are ultimately destructive.

The party added, “What has become clear is that the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda is, at best, a trial-and-error system and, at worst, a cynical, self-serving agenda that has no consideration for the ordinary people of Nigeria.”

The party then urged the government to reverse the 15 percent duty, saying Nigerians deserve “a government that plans, not one that panics.”

It added, “A government that cannot run its own refineries has no business taxing those who keep the country running with their sweat and blood.”

It also stressed that, “President Tinubu must understand that economic patriotism cannot be enforced through pain.”

While backing genuine efforts toward energy security, the ADC maintained that local refining should first be strengthened before introducing any taxes that make imported fuel more expensive for Nigerians.

Do not to push Nigerians – ADC warns Tinubu over new fuel tax