ADC Urges Nigerians to Learn from US Elections, Reject APC Over 570% Fuel Price Hike
By KEMI KASUMU
“The lesson from America is simple: governments must answer to the people for their economic decisions. In January, the cost of living must be at the centre of Nigeria’s democratic choice,” Abdullahi said.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has urged Nigerians to take a cue from American voters who voted against the ruling Republican Party in the recent United States midterm elections, saying the rising cost of living should influence their electoral choices ahead of Nigeria’s January 2027 elections.
The opposition party said the outcome of the US elections demonstrated that economic hardship, particularly rising fuel prices and the cost of essential commodities, could determine the fate of a ruling party at the polls.
In a press statement issued on Saturday, November 7, 2026, and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said Nigerians had experienced a 570 per cent increase in petrol prices since President Bola Tinubu removed the fuel subsidy in May 2023.
The party noted that while American voters were responding to fuel price increases of about 37 per cent in several states, Nigerians had faced a much steeper increase, with average petrol prices rising from N238.11 per litre in May 2023 to N1,596.25 in May 2026.
According to the ADC, the development has placed enormous pressure on Nigerian households, businesses and the wider economy.
It said the increase was not merely an economic statistic but had translated into unaffordable transportation, higher food prices and growing difficulties for small businesses struggling to survive.
“The lesson from America is simple: governments must answer to the people for their economic decisions. In January, the cost of living must be at the centre of Nigeria’s democratic choice,” Abdullahi said.
The party argued that the economic consequences of the Tinubu administration’s policies had continued to affect ordinary Nigerians, accusing the All Progressives Congress (APC) government of failing to demonstrate how the removal of fuel subsidies would ultimately benefit citizens.
“Every Nigerian household is paying the price for the APC and Tinubu’s failed policies,” the statement said.
The ADC added that although the Federal Government had repeatedly appealed to Nigerians to endure economic sacrifices in anticipation of a better future, more than three years after the subsidy removal, ordinary citizens were yet to see the promised benefits.
It therefore challenged President Tinubu and the APC to explain how they intended to make petrol, electricity, food and transportation affordable as the country approaches the January 16 elections.
“As January 16 approaches, Nigerians deserve clear answers about how fuel, electricity, food and transportation would be made affordable. The APC and President Tinubu clearly do not have answers,” the party stated.
Drawing a parallel between the American political experience and Nigeria’s forthcoming elections, the ADC maintained that the same economic concerns that influenced American voters should guide Nigerians in deciding whether to retain the APC in power.
“It is for the same reason that Americans voted against the ruling Republican Party, and it is for the same reason that Nigerians should reject the ruling APC in January,” the statement added.
The party had earlier called on Nigerians to emulate American voters following the reported defeat suffered by the ruling Republican Party in the US midterm elections.
It said the latest electoral development further reinforced its position that the cost of living and economic affordability had become critical considerations in determining electoral outcomes.
The statement was signed by Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress.
