Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu's administration of using NNPC Limited as a "campaign cashier" following the announcement of a petrol discount. In a statement released on Saturday, October 10, 2026, by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku questioned whether the decision bypassed NNPC Limited's board and violated the company's commercial mandate under the Petroleum Industry Act.
Governance Concerns Over NNPC Board Approval
Atiku argued that the Petroleum Industry Act established NNPC Limited as a commercial entity, and ordering it to absorb a price cut without transparent board approval contradicts that mandate. "NNPC Limited is no longer the old NNPC corporation. The Petroleum Industry Act established it to operate as a commercial company. Yet the Presidency announces a discount, claims the applause and tells NNPC to surrender its margin. Is the government exercising its rights as shareholder through proper corporate channels, or treating NNPC Limited as a drawer of campaign money it can open whenever an election approaches?" Atiku said.
The former vice president also pressed the administration to clarify which account would absorb the cost of the discount and what financial figures the NNPC board reviewed before the policy was made public.
Reach and Cost of the Discount Questioned
Beyond governance, Atiku raised doubts about whether the relief would reach ordinary Nigerians. He noted that NNPC Retail operates just over 900 filling stations across a country of roughly 242 million people. Drivers in many areas would need to travel long distances, join queues, and use a dedicated app to access the saving of ₦66 per litre.
"What happens to the family whose nearest NNPC station is miles away? What happens when a station runs out of petrol? Tinubu announces relief for the whole country, then delivers it through a fraction of its filling stations. A press release can reach every Nigerian in a second. His discount cannot," Atiku said.
Atiku Calls Discount a Borrowed Idea
Atiku accused President Tinubu of previously mocking his own proposal for a targeted production subsidy, only to roll out a similar concept in a far more limited form. "Bola, you mocked my proposal for a transparent production subsidy. Now you have borrowed its central lesson, that Nigerians need targeted relief, and come back with an app coupon lasting 30 days at a handful of stations. You borrowed the recipe for feeding a nation and returned with a tasting spoon," Atiku said.
The administration has maintained that the arrangement does not constitute a subsidy, a characterisation Atiku dismissed, saying that renaming a cost does not make it disappear.
NDC Condemns the Discount
In a related development, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) condemned the federal government's announcement of a 30-day petrol price discount at NNPC retail outlets, describing the move as deceptive and a sign of a government in crisis. The party's statement, signed by National Publicity Secretary Osa Director Esq and dated October 8, 2026, came in response to comments by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, who described the initiative as a cost-price offer rather than a subsidy return. The discount policy thus faces mounting political opposition as the 2027 elections approach, with critics questioning its transparency and reach.
