The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has urged Nigerian youths to reject President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid, describing the administration’s petrol price discount as a scam that has failed to ease the burden on consumers.
The council accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of failing Nigerian youths after nearly 12 years in power, citing widespread unemployment, poverty and rising living costs.
The Director of Media and Publicity of the ADC-PCC, Kola Ologbondiyan, made the call while interacting with ADC youth leaders in Kabba/Bunu local government area of Kogi State.
He warned that giving Tinubu another four years would amount to a costly political mistake for young Nigerians, whom he said had borne the brunt of the administration’s economic policies.
“As youths, you have spent almost 12 years under the APC government confronting difficult economic circumstances, with many graduates struggling to find decent employment,” Ologbondiyan said.
He lamented that many graduates had been forced into petty trading, recharge card sales and point-of-sale (POS) businesses to survive, instead of securing decent jobs.
The ADC-PCC spokesman also faulted the administration’s announcement of a petrol price discount expected to bring pump prices down to N1,350 per litre, insisting that the promised relief had yet to reflect at filling stations.
“Check the filling stations in your neighbourhood, and you will discover that Nigerians are still paying above N1,400 per litre. What, then, is the reality behind this so-called discount?” he queried.
Ologbondiyan described the discount as misleading, arguing that Nigerians should not be expected to celebrate a price reduction announced by the government when consumers continued to pay more than N1,400 per litre.
“No Nigerian should be asked to celebrate a discount that exists only in government announcements while the reality at the filling stations tells a different story,” he said.
He added that high petrol prices continued to drive up transportation fares, business operating costs and the prices of essential goods and services, while reported queues at filling stations underscored persistent difficulties for consumers.
“You cannot announce relief on television and social media and expect Nigerians to ignore what they experience every day. The people need tangible relief, not another round of publicity,” he stated.
Ologbondiyan urged youths to mobilise across their wards and communities to promote the ADC as an alternative to the APC-led government, urging them to support the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and his running mate, Rotimi Amaechi.
He said the Atiku-Amaechi ticket offered a different approach to economic management, promising greater transparency and accountability in the petroleum sector and policies aimed at making life more affordable.
According to him, Atiku’s proposed approach to fuel subsidy and petroleum sector management would prioritise citizens’ welfare and ensure that government decisions translated into tangible benefits for Nigerians.
The ADC-PCC spokesman accused the Tinubu administration of relying on publicity and repeated promises while millions of citizens continued to struggle with hunger and economic hardship.
“After years in government, Nigerians deserve more than promises, excuses and propaganda. They deserve policies that work and leadership that understands their pain,” he said.
He challenged young Nigerians to assess the APC’s record and compare the presidential candidates on the strength of their policies, performance and commitment to the country’s future.
“Your future is too important to be sacrificed on the altar of political propaganda,” Ologbondiyan said, urging youths to reject what he described as a government of “promises and failures.”
He maintained that Nigerian youths deserved decent jobs, affordable living conditions and opportunities to succeed, adding that the country needed leadership that took their aspirations seriously.
