Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has described President Bola Tinubu’s 90-day cost-of-living relief plan as election bait, accusing the administration of promising economic relief whose deadline falls after Nigerians have voted.

Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council, made the allegation on Friday while addressing a world press conference at the party’s secretariat.

Shaibu argued that with the presidential election 86 days away, the 90-day plan would extend beyond election day, leaving Nigerians to wait for promised relief after casting their ballots.

He said the timing raised questions about the government’s commitment to tackling the hardship Nigerians had endured since Tinubu assumed office.

“After three and a half years of hardship, this government is asking families to carry another promise into the polling booth and wait for relief until the votes are counted,” Shaibu said.

He described the initiative as “election bait”, urging Nigerians to judge the administration by its economic record rather than promises announced ahead of the polls.

The government’s plan identifies five priorities: food affordability, tax harmonisation, completion of key projects, removal of investment bottlenecks and household support.

Shaibu, however, argued that these were longstanding problems the administration should have addressed earlier, citing rising food prices, increasing transport costs, mounting pressure on manufacturers and business closures.

He also criticised the government’s handling of petrol subsidy removal, saying measures to protect vulnerable households should have accompanied the reform.

According to him, the government imposed the immediate costs of the policy while asking Nigerians to wait for its promised benefits.

“A government cannot put a 90-day deadline on hunger, the cost-of-living crisis and insecurity and call it an economic policy,” he said.

Shaibu also questioned Tinubu’s planned visit to Kaduna to launch his re-election campaign, citing the state’s experience with civilian casualties from military airstrikes, abductions, insecurity and natural disasters.

He recalled the December 3, 2023, military drone strike on civilians attending a Maulud celebration in Tudun Biri, which killed at least 85 people. He also cited a reported military airstrike in Giwa in September 2024 that allegedly killed at least 24 civilians.

The ADC campaign official further referred to a September 2025 attack involving kidnappings in Kachia, alongside storms and flooding that affected communities across Kaduna State.

Shaibu questioned the President’s response to affected communities, calling on him to explain what his administration had done for victims of the incidents and what measures it had introduced to protect residents threatened by abductions.

He also challenged the government’s claims of fuel-price relief through a discount promotion introduced by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) on October 1.

Shaibu said he personally visited NNPC retail stations but was told that no discount was available. He claimed he subsequently bought petrol at ₦1,405 per litre.

He challenged the company to publish details of the promotion, including the number of motorists who benefited, the participating stations and the volume of petrol sold at discounted prices.

Shaibu also questioned the reach of a reported ₦66-per-litre discount, noting that NNPC operates about 900 retail stations in a country with thousands of fuel outlets.

Turning to the 90-day relief plan, he demanded specific implementation details for each of the government’s five priorities.

On food affordability, he asked which costs would be reduced for farmers, transporters and traders, when consumers would begin to see lower market prices and how the government would sustain any reductions beyond the 90-day period.

He also demanded that the government publish details of its proposed tax harmonisation measures, identify projects scheduled for completion within 90 days and explain how it intended to remove barriers affecting manufacturers and investors.

On household support, Shaibu asked the government to disclose eligibility criteria, payment amounts, commencement dates, funding arrangements and plans for beneficiaries after the initiative expires.

He also raised concerns about a registration form circulating under the name “Arise for Tinubu 2027”, which he said requested voter identification, bank details and phone numbers.

Shaibu demanded clarification on who was collecting the information, how it would be used and whether the exercise was connected to the government’s proposed household support programme.

He insisted that Nigerians should not have to surrender sensitive personal information to a political group to access public relief, urging the government to explain how it would prevent the misuse of personal data or public assistance for political purposes.

Shaibu said Atiku had pledged to make Nigeria more affordable through disciplined public spending, targeted household assistance, lower costs of producing and transporting essential goods, and policies to help local manufacturers expand and create jobs.

He argued that economic policies should be measured by their impact on household purchasing power rather than government announcements.

The ADC campaign council urged Nigerians to demand evidence that the promised relief would reach households and remain effective beyond the election period.