The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has criticised President Bola Tinubu over the 2026 budget, warning that it would “renew Nigerians’ suffering”.
Tinubu presented the N58.18 trillion budget proposal on Friday during a joint sitting of the national assembly.
The spending plan, titled “Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience and Shared Prosperity”, sets aside N5.41 trillion for defence and security, accounting for about 9.3 per cent of total expenditure.
The president also projected N34.33 trillion in revenue, with N58.18 trillion in expenditure, N15.25 trillion for recurrent non-debt spending and N26.08 trillion for capital projects.
Reacting in a statement, Ini Ememobong, PDP spokesperson, said the figures failed to reflect the economic conditions confronting ordinary Nigerians.
“We see it rather as a budget of consolidated renewed sufferings, because what Nigerians have witnessed since the birth of this administration is nothing but unmitigated hardship on the people, while the governing class relishes in affluence,” the statement reads.
Ememobong said claims of economic stabilisation did not align with public experience, arguing that hardship remained widespread.
“Nigerians have suffered greatly from many economic woes under this administration,” Ememobong said.
The party also questioned Tinubu’s reliance on a reported 3.98 per cent GDP growth rate as proof of progress.
Ememobong cited the 2025 World Bank Poverty & Equity Brief, which shows that “more than 30.9% of Nigerians live below the international extreme poverty line”.
“This shows that there is growth without prosperity for our citizens, meaning that despite GDP growth, poverty remains endemic,” the statement reads.
The PDP said the president failed to explain which sectors drove the reported growth or identify those who benefited from it.
“The president stated that the economy under his watch grew by 3.98% without stating the sectors that stimulated the growth or identifying those who benefited from it,” Ememobong said.
On security, the party acknowledged the allocation in the budget but cautioned that funding alone would not resolve Nigeria’s security challenges.
“We must remind the government and Nigerians that allocation alone is insufficient,” he said.
Ememobong claimed that “security operatives were engaged across multiple theatres of conflict where criminal non-state actors are alleged to possess superior arms compared to our security forces”.
“We therefore demand effective and transparent execution to ensure that security funding translates into tangible improvements-modern equipment, adequate ammunition, improved intelligence capabilities, and better welfare for security personnel who are currently engaged in different theatres of armed conflict, where criminal non-state actors are alleged to possess superior arms compared to our security forces,” he said.
The party also expressed concern over Tinubu’s disclosure that implementation of the 2024 capital budget had been extended to December 2025 while the 2025 budget was still running.
Ememobong said the development confirmed reports that multiple budgets were being implemented simultaneously.
“This confirms the long-standing rumours of the concurrent operation of multiple budgets,” he said.
“This cannot be described as best practice, as every budget has a defined period of operation and no two budgets should operate concurrently.
“It is yet another unprecedented negative feat by this APC Bola Tinubu-led administration”.
He called for stronger transparency and accountability in public finance, saying both had been “conspicuously absent so far under this administration”.
“Financial accountability and transparency are critical to public trust-building and effective public administration,” the statement added.
