Campaign rhetoric about Nigeria's fuel and cash problems has been heating in the run up to the February 25 vote to decide on the successor to President Muhammadu Buhari.
Candidates have traded accusations of blame over the shortages with the ruling party hopeful even suggesting his enemies had manufactured the crisis to undermine his election chances.
The election appears close with three leading candidates: Bola Tinubu of the ruling party All Progressives Congress (APC), main opposition party Peoples Democratic Party's (PDP) Atiku Abubakar and Labor party hopeful Peter Obi.
Tinubu, a former Lagos governor, has lashed out at enemies for purposefully creating the crisis to derail his own election.
"They are trying to cause trouble and sabotage us," Tinubu told supporters at a rally in Abeokuta last week. "Whether there is fuel or not... we will vote and win."
But powerful APC governor for Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, stirred up tensions further this week with a claim "saboteurs" in the presidential villa were trying to undermine Tinubu.
"We are convinced there are some elements in the villa that want the APC to lose the election," El-Rufai told Arise News.
"There appears to be very strong evidence of a conspiracy to incite voters against the APC."
Known as the "Godfather of Lagos" for his political influence, Tinubu was instrumental in getting Buhari elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019.
But he has rattled APC ranks with his claim "It's my turn" for the presidency.
Information Minister Lai Mohammed told reporters he was unaware of anyone in the presidency working against Tinubu and said Buhari just wanted a free, fair and credible contest.
But PDP candidate Abubakar's campaign was quick to point to Tinubu trying to distance himself from the Buhari government's record over eight years.
"Tinubu ought to know that Nigerians can see through his antics and beguilements and that his diversionary theatrics on fuel and new naira notes cannot sway Nigerians at this moment," PDP spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan said in a statement on Twitter.