The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has renewed his call for President Bola Tinubu to resign, citing the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) claim that Nigeria failed to include about ₦8.83 trillion in public spending in its 2025 budget.
The renewed demand follows comments by Christian Ebeke, the IMF’s resident representative in Nigeria, who said the unrecorded expenditure amounts to about two per cent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). According to the IMF, the omission makes Nigeria’s fiscal deficit appear smaller than its actual borrowing requirements.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Obi described the IMF’s revelation as alarming and said it raises serious concerns about transparency and public financial management under the Tinubu administration.
“The IMF now reveals that about ₦8.83 trillion in expenditure undertaken in 2025 is not reflected in the budget. This expenditure is not budgeted and is therefore not under legislative oversight or administrative scrutiny. This is horrible,” Obi said.
The former Anambra State governor argued that the amount represents more than 35 per cent of Nigeria’s ₦23.96 trillion capital budget for 2025 and exceeds the actual capital releases for the year.
He also noted that the figure is larger than the combined federal allocations for education and health, which stand at ₦3.52 trillion and ₦2.38 trillion respectively.
Obi said that if the funds had been properly budgeted and managed, they could have significantly improved healthcare, education and job creation through investments in small-scale industries.
Describing the alleged omission as part of a broader trend, he accused the administration of encouraging what he called “grand corruption” and warned that poor adherence to public finance rules threatens Nigeria’s stability.
“The capture of the Nigerian state and the plunder of its resources are actions that undermine the basis of state stability and deepen poverty and state failure,” he said.
Obi further alleged that the IMF’s findings portray the ruling APC government as corrupt, incompetent and insensitive to the needs of Nigerians.
Reiterating his earlier demand for Tinubu to leave office, Obi said recent allegations of corruption and worsening insecurity strengthen his position.
“A few days ago, I called on President Tinubu to resign from office for incompetence, lack of capacity, lack of compassion, and failure to improve on his campaign promises,” he said.
“But with the daily revelations of pervasive corruption in this administration and its total lack of commitment to the welfare and security of Nigerian citizens, the only reasonable action is for President Tinubu to resign from office.”
Obi also called on Nigerians to demand accountability through lawful means, saying adherence to due process and transparency is essential for restoring confidence in government.
His comments come a day after former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar urged the EFCC and ICPC to investigate the IMF’s claims regarding the unrecorded expenditure.
