The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described President Bola Tinubu’s 2026 budget as a “Consolidated Budget of Suffering” for Nigerians, pointing out that citizens have suffered greatly from numerous economic woes under his administration.
A press statement on Friday signed by Comrade Ini Ememobong, National Publicity Secretary of the party reads, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu undertook the yearly ritual of presenting the 2026 budget to the National Assembly. The budget, themed “Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience and Shared Prosperity,” claims that the economy is stabilizing and promises shared prosperity. In response, we view it rather as a budget of consolidated renewed suffering, because what Nigerians have witnessed since the birth of this administration is nothing but unmitigated hardship for the people, while the governing class relishes in affluence.
“Nigerians have suffered greatly from many economic woes under this administration.
“President Tinubu cited a 3.98% GDP growth rate as evidence of economic stabilisation under his administration. However, it is well established that economic growth alone does not and cannot guarantee improved living standards for citizens. According to the 2025 World Bank Poverty & Equity Brief, more than 30.9% of Nigerians live below the international extreme poverty line. This indicates that growth is occurring without prosperity for our citizens, meaning that despite GDP growth, poverty remains endemic.
“This clearly indicates that whatever economic gains exist are not reaching the majority of Nigerians.
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 benefitted from it. This figure reflects the economic decline the nation has suffered under the leadership of the APC-led Federal Government, compared to the growth rate of 6.87% recorded in 2013 (the same period under the last PDP administration), which was driven largely by non-oil sectors such as agriculture and trade.
“Today, the President celebrates a 3.98% growth rate, whereas a reality check reveals excruciating hunger, a high cost of living, and other indices of economic hardship, which Nigerians are currently facing.
“While we acknowledge the security allocation in the 2026 budget, we must remind the government and Nigerians that allocation alone is insufficient. 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.
Overall, we are deeply concerned about the President’s unapologetic admission that the execution of the 2024 capital budget has been extended to December 2025, despite the 2025 budget still being in force.
“This confirms the long-standing rumours of the concurrent operation of multiple budgets. This cannot be described as best practice, as every budget has a defined period of operation and no two budgets should operate concurrently. The operation of multiple budgets simultaneously undermines fiscal discipline, transparency, and accountability. These multiple budgetary regimes show yet another unprecedented negative feat by this APC Bola Tinubu-led administration.
“We hereby call for increased transparency and accountability in the administration of the finances of our country, as these have been conspicuously absent so far under this administration. Financial accountability and transparency are critical to public trust-building and effective public administration.”
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