ADC Taunts Tinubu: ‘You’ve Entered Panic Mode’ Over CNG Expansion

The African Democratic Congress has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of responding to political pressure ahead of the 2027 general elections rather than addressing the hardship confronting Nigerians.

The opposition party made the accusation while reacting to the Federal Government’s renewed push to expand Compressed Natural Gas-powered transportation across the country as part of efforts to reduce transport fares.

In a statement, ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, described the move as a belated response to the growing economic pressure on Nigerians, arguing that the government could have introduced stronger measures to reduce transportation costs much earlier.

The party said Nigerians had spent years dealing with rising transport fares, food prices and declining purchasing power following the removal of the petrol subsidy.

According to the ADC, the sudden urgency surrounding CNG transportation suggests that the administration is becoming increasingly concerned about the political consequences of the economic hardship ahead of the 2027 elections.

The party questioned why the government did not aggressively deploy CNG buses when Nigerians first began experiencing the effects of higher petrol prices.

It argued that if the Federal Government had the capacity to reduce transportation costs now, similar measures could have been implemented much earlier to cushion the impact of subsidy removal.

The opposition party also linked the latest CNG push to the growing prominence of its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, who has made the cost of living and targeted intervention in the petroleum sector central to his political message.

ADC said the timing of the government’s renewed intervention was significant, arguing that the administration appeared to be reacting to the political debate created by Atiku’s proposals.

The party maintained that Nigerians would distinguish between policies introduced as a genuine response to economic hardship and measures introduced primarily because of approaching elections.

It further criticised the administration over what it described as its failure to adequately address unemployment, insecurity, rising food prices and declining household purchasing power.

The ADC argued that reducing transportation costs should have been treated as an urgent economic priority immediately after the removal of the fuel subsidy because higher transport costs affect virtually every sector of the economy.

According to the party, expensive transportation increases the cost of moving agricultural produce, goods and workers, thereby contributing to higher prices across the economy.

It therefore welcomed any genuine effort to make transportation more affordable but questioned the timing and motivation behind the latest government initiative.

The party said the government should focus on creating sustainable solutions that reduce the cost of living rather than relying on interventions that appear only when elections approach.

The renewed CNG initiative is part of the Federal Government’s broader efforts to encourage the use of alternative fuels and reduce dependence on petrol for mass transportation.

The government has argued that expanding CNG-powered transportation can lower operating costs for transport operators and ultimately reduce fares for commuters.

The political disagreement over the initiative, however, reflects the wider contest between the Tinubu administration and opposition parties over the economic consequences of the government’s reforms.

With the 2027 elections drawing closer, the cost of living, fuel prices, transportation and the effectiveness of government interventions are expected to remain major issues in Nigeria’s political debate.

The ADC’s latest criticism therefore places the CNG expansion programme within the broader political argument over whether the government’s economic policies are delivering meaningful relief to ordinary Nigerians.