ADC accuses FG of manipulating food prices for political gains

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the federal government of manipulating food prices to score political points ahead of the 2027 elections.

In a statement on Monday, the party’s national publicity secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the government’s narrative of improved local production was misleading, given the realities facing farmers across the country.

Abdullahi said the reported decline in prices was “artificial” and driven by import waivers that had flooded the market with cheap foreign food, hurting local farmers already battling insecurity and inflation.

“The reported drop in the prices of some food items is artificial, and a result of import waivers that have flooded the market with cheap foreign food,” he said.

“It is neither evidence of sound policy nor proof of increased local production. And while that may offer momentary relief in food prices, it has, and will, come at the heavy cost of sabotaging local farmers who can no longer compete due to soaring input costs, especially fertilisers, and worsening insecurity.”

He questioned how the government could claim progress in food production when farmers were being displaced by banditry and the cost of agricultural inputs had become unbearable.

“How can production be increasing when the rural economy is under siege by bandits, and the costs of planting are now beyond the reach of the average farmer?” Abdullahi asked.

“What we are witnessing is a deliberate manipulation of food prices for short-term political gain, designed to create the illusion of economic progress while citizens continue to suffer.”

He also faulted the government’s denial of releasing imported food into the market, saying such a stance raised even more troubling questions.

“If we are to even momentarily entertain this falsehood, it begs an even more damning question: why is the government hoarding food while the people go hungry? What sort of administration stores food in warehouses during a hunger crisis?” Abdullahi asked.

The ADC called for a complete overhaul of the country’s agricultural strategy to prioritise local production, ensure food price stability, and guarantee long-term food security.