The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has strongly condemned President Bola Tinubu’s approval of a 15% import duty on petrol and diesel, warning it will exacerbate the current economic hardship.

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party described the tax as “insensitive and misguided,” questioning the government’s consideration for the populace.

The ADC warned that the levy could push the pump price of petrol beyond ₦1,000 per litre, making life “even more unbearable” for families, commuters, and small businesses. It criticized the timing, pointing to the recent collapse of the recently rehabilitated Port Harcourt Refinery as a failure of the government’s energy strategy.

Accusing the administration of running an economy that “condemns the majority to a life of hardship,” the ADC urged an immediate reversal of the duty. The party asserted that “a government that cannot run its own refineries has no business taxing those who keep the country running with their sweat and blood,” and called for a government that “plans, not one that panics.”