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.