The Makinde/Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation has criticised the Federal Government’s N60-per-litre petrol discount, describing it as a political stunt that has failed to address the economic hardship facing Nigerians.

The organisation said reports of petrol prices rising from N1,370 to N1,410 per litre at filling stations in Abuja and other parts of the country had reinforced its position that the discount was inadequate to ease the rising cost of living.

In a statement issued by its Director of Communications, Richard Ihediwa, the campaign organisation accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of using propaganda to portray itself as sympathetic to Nigerians while citizens continued to grapple with economic difficulties.

“The latest development also strengthens our position that no amount of propaganda can conceal the consequences of policies, whose promised benefits are not reflected in the daily lives of ordinary Nigerians,” the organisation said.

It also faulted the administration’s economic reform narrative, arguing that the promise of bold reforms had become a justification for imposing further hardship on citizens.

“Nigerians cannot continue to be confronted with the hollow slogan of ‘bold economic reforms,’ which has become a euphemism for transferring the crushing burden of economic hardship onto citizens already struggling to survive,” the statement added.

The campaign organisation called for a fundamental review of the policies driving economic hardship, insisting that temporary relief measures would remain insufficient without a change in the country’s economic direction.

Presenting its proposed alternative, the organisation pointed to the Makinde/Daura ticket’s RESET NIGERIA Agenda, which it said was built around responsible economic management, transparent resource governance and productive investment.

“Nigeria needs a complete RESET under a Makinde Presidency and not this propaganda-driven administration that have failed in all ramifications,” Ihediwa said.

The criticism comes amid public debate over the impact of petrol pricing and the effectiveness of government measures aimed at reducing the burden of fuel costs on Nigerians.