Resign now, Obi tells Tinubu over IMF spending claim
Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, has again asked President Bola Tinubu to resign, citing an International Monetary Fund report that Nigeria excluded some public spending from its budgets.
This is the second time in a week Obi has made the call.
On Wednesday, Christian Ebeke, IMF resident representative in Nigeria, said the off-budget spending is worth 2 percent of gross domestic product. He noted that the discrepancy makes Nigeria’s fiscal deficit appear smaller than the government’s actual borrowing needs.
In a statement on Sunday, Obi said the IMF disclosure raises “concerns about the scale of grand corruption” under Tinubu’s administration.
“The IMF now reveals that about N8.83 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.
He said the N8.83 trillion amounts to over 35 percent of the N23.96 trillion budgeted for capital projects in 2025, and exceeds the combined 2025 budgets for education, N3.52 trillion, and health, N2.38 trillion.
“If such an amount is properly used and accounted for, it could transform Nigeria’s public health and education sectors. But we cannot account for it,” he said. “This is not an isolated incident. This is a pattern of grand corruption that has become part of this administration.”
Obi accused the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, government of being “grossly corrupt, incompetent, and insensitive,” adding that the alleged off-budget spending undermines state stability and deepens poverty.
“With the growing poverty and the urgent need for significant upgrades to social and physical infrastructure, a responsible government would ensure that N8.83 trillion is prudently utilised. But not the Tinubu administration,” he said.
The former Anambra governor reiterated his earlier demand for Tinubu’s resignation, citing “incompetence, lack of capacity, lack of compassion, and failure to improve on his campaign promises.”
“A few days ago, I called on President Tinubu to resign. Some people thought perhaps the call was excessive. 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,” Obi said.
He urged Nigerians to “rise within the law and hold this administration to account,” saying the collapse of due process and “rampant looting” reinforce the need for greater accountability.
On Saturday, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, to probe the allegation.
