The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of deepening economic hardship and fiscal disorder in Nigeria, warning that the 2026 Appropriation Bill represents not reform or recovery but the institutionalisation of suffering under the guise of macroeconomic statistics.
Similarly, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in 2023, Mr. Peter Obi, has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government of allegedly overseeing the fabrication of laws following the presentation of the 2026 national budget proposal.
This is just as the senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, insisted that governance must be judged by impact, not figures, and cautioned that the historic N58.18 trillion bill will amount to little unless it translates into tangible improvements in the lives of ordinary Nigerians.
In a statement released by PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the opposition party dismissed the president’s “Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience and Shared Prosperity” as a public relations exercise disconnected from economic realities faced by most Nigerians.
President Tinubu, while presenting the 2026 Appropriation Bill before the National Assembly, cited a 3.98 per cent Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate as proof of economic stabilisation.
According to the PDP, headline growth numbers have failed to arrest worsening poverty, hunger, and rising living costs.
It referenced the 2025 World Bank Poverty and Equity Brief, which estimates that over 30.9 per cent of Nigerians live below the international extreme poverty line, arguing that this exposes the hollowness of official optimism.
The opposition political party further criticised the government for failing to disclose the sectors driving the reported growth or identify beneficiaries, noting that growth without transparency raises serious questions about inclusiveness and sustainability.
It contrasted the current performance with the 6.87 per cent growth recorded in 2013 under the last PDP-led federal government, which it said was driven by productive non-oil sectors such as agriculture and trade, rather than consumption shocks and fiscal improvisation.
“Celebrating a 3.98 per cent growth rate amid record hunger, inflationary pressure, and collapsing purchasing power amounts to governing by abstraction,” the party said.
On security, the PDP acknowledged the increased budgetary allocation but warned that security spending without reform, oversight, and execution has become a recurring failure of Tinubu’s administration.
It argued that budgetary figures have not translated into battlefield advantage, improved intelligence, or adequate welfare for personnel, even as criminal non-state actors reportedly possess superior weaponry in several theatres of conflict.
More troubling, the PDP said, was President Tinubu’s admission that the execution of the 2024 capital budget had been extended to December 2025 while the 2025 budget remains active.
The party described this as confirmation of fiscal drift and administrative confusion, warning that the concurrent operation of multiple budgets violates fundamental principles of public finance.
According to the opposition, overlapping budgets undermine transparency, weaken accountability, and blur responsibility, creating conditions for inefficiency and abuse.
It described the practice as unprecedented in scale and symptomatic of an administration struggling to impose discipline on its own economic architecture.
The PDP concluded by calling for urgent restoration of fiscal credibility, transparency, and accountability, warning that continued reliance on optimistic rhetoric without measurable outcomes risks further eroding public trust.
Meanwhile, the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Obi, has accused the federal government of overseeing the fabrication of laws following the 2026 national budget presentation.
In a statement titled “Migrating from Padded Budgets to Forged Laws,” posted on his X handle on Saturday, Obi warned that the move endangers constitutional governance and erodes public trust.
Obi alleged discrepancies between documents passed by the National Assembly and those ultimately published and enforced by the executive.
“Our national shame continues to unfold, evident in the decisions made by our leaders, even at the highest levels of government.
“This shame is highlighted by a deeply troubling—and frankly unacceptable—issue: the documented discrepancies between what the legislature passed and what was ultimately published as law by the executive.
“This is not merely an administrative oversight; it is a serious matter that strikes at the core of constitutional governance and reveals the extent of our institutional decay.
“We have transitioned from a Nigeria where budgets are padded to one where laws are forged—changes that impact taxpayers’ rights and, most importantly, access to justice.
“Even more alarming is the introduction of new enforcement and coercive powers that the House of Representatives never approved.
“These include an outrageous requirement for a mandatory 20% deposit before appeals can be heard in court, asset sales without judicial oversight, and the granting of arrest powers to tax authorities.
“Perhaps most disturbing is the silence of the Presidency on a matter involving allegations of forgery, institutional sabotage, and abuse of process. Who made these alterations? All of this must be made public.
“Nigerians need to understand what was signed, what was passed, and what was formally recorded. We cannot continue to ask citizens to pay more taxes while trust in governance collapses.
“We need leadership that follows due process, embraces transparency and accountability, and respects the rule of law. No nation can thrive where laws are forged, and silence replaces leadership, Obi wrote
Governance Must be Judged by Impact, Not Figures, Natasha Insists
Meanwhile, the senator representing Kogi Central, Akpoti-Uduaghan, has stated that the historic budget proposal means little unless it translates into tangible improvements in the lives of ordinary Nigerians.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, in a statement on Saturday, insisted that governance must be judged by impact, not figures.
Akpoti-Uduaghan described the budget proposal as significant but warned that Nigeria’s longstanding development challenges cannot be resolved by large appropriations alone.
She said: “Of all the lengthy speeches, one line by Mr. President struck me deeply. It’s not the size of the budget but the quantum of impact felt by Nigerians.”
She noted that while the proposed N58.18 trillion budget reflects the scale of Nigeria’s ambitions and the enormity of its challenges, citizens are less concerned about headline figures and more interested in how government spending improves their daily realities.
According to her, Nigerians expect budgets to deliver better living standards, sustainable job creation, functional infrastructure, affordable healthcare, quality education, and accessible social services, rather than remain mere numbers in policy documents.
She said, “For many Nigerians, what matters is whether roads are motorable, hospitals are functional, schools are equipped, jobs are available, and the cost of living becomes bearable.
“Budgets must move from paper to people.”
Chuks Okocha and Sunday Aborisade
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