The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of failing to find an effective solution to Nigeria’s rising food prices and worsening cost-of-living pressures.
The opposition party’s latest criticism comes amid continuing concerns over food insecurity, household purchasing power and the impact of economic reforms on Nigerians.
The ADC has repeatedly attacked the Tinubu administration over economic hardship.
In May, the party criticised the President after he accused opposition politicians of lacking vision, arguing that Nigerians were experiencing severe economic difficulties under his administration. The party cited rising food prices, inflation, shrinking incomes and insecurity among the challenges facing households.
In another statement in May, ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi described a reported 30 per cent approval rating for Tinubu as evidence of widespread dissatisfaction with the administration.
The party linked that dissatisfaction to economic hardship, unemployment, insecurity and rising food prices.
The ADC’s criticism has also focused on the consequences of the Federal Government’s fuel and economic policies.
In March, Abdullahi questioned what had happened to the savings generated by the removal of petrol subsidies, arguing that petrol prices had risen sharply since Tinubu took office and that the increase had fed into transport and food costs.
More recently, the party pointed to food insecurity in northern Nigeria.
In July, ADC cited a World Food Programme assessment reporting that more than 17 million Nigerians across nine conflict-affected northern states were facing acute hunger. The party blamed insecurity, displacement of farming communities and economic policies for worsening access to food.
The party’s criticism reflects a wider political battle over how Nigerians assess the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms.
The Federal Government has consistently defended its reforms, arguing that the measures are intended to stabilise the economy, attract investment and create the foundation for sustainable growth.
For the ADC, however, the central measure of economic policy is the experience of ordinary Nigerians.
The party’s argument is that macroeconomic reforms cannot be considered successful if households continue to struggle with the cost of basic necessities.
That criticism is likely to intensify as the country moves closer to the 2027 general elections.
The ADC is positioning itself as one of the major opposition platforms ahead of the election, while the Tinubu administration and the ruling APC are seeking to defend the economic record of the government.
The debate over food prices could consequently become one of the most important economic issues in the 2027 campaign.
For now, the ADC’s claim that the government has “run out of ideas” remains the party’s political assessment, rather than an independently established fact.