The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has cautioned President Bola Tinubu against introducing the proposed 5% fuel tax, warning that it could damage his chances of securing a second term in office.
In a statement signed by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, Ayodele said the policy risks being misinterpreted by Nigerians and may be viewed in the same light as the controversial fuel subsidy removal, potentially sparking public backlash against the government.
“Tinubu should look into the five percent fuel tax well. They will misinterpret it, and it will count as a minus for Tinubu’s second-term ambition,” he said.
The cleric added that opposition parties could capitalise on the policy to campaign against the President, while some governors may oppose it, given that the benefits would likely be skewed in the long run.
“They will use it to campaign against him. The policy will be one-sided in the long run, and some governors will kick against it,” he noted.
Ayodele further urged the President to cut down on taxation policies in view of the current economic hardship in the country, stressing that Nigerians are already overburdened.
“Tinubu needs to work on the taxation issue; it’s becoming too much. He should not let it be like the subsidy removal days,” he said.