Peter Obi Alleges ₦8.83tn ‘Hidden Spending’ Under Tinubu, Cites IMF Report, Renews Resignation Call

The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has accused the administration of Bola Tinubu of presiding over what he described as “grand corruption” following claims that about ₦8.83 trillion in 2025 government expenditure was not captured in the national budget.

In a statement posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Sunday, Obi said findings contained in the International Monetary Fund consultation report indicated that the expenditure was made outside the approved 2025 budget, raising concerns over transparency and legislative oversight.

According to Obi, the alleged off-budget spending was neither appropriated by the National Assembly nor subjected to normal administrative scrutiny.

“The recent report from the IMF consultation further raises concerns about the scale of grand corruption under the Tinubu government. 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,” he stated.

The former Anambra State governor argued that the amount represents roughly two per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and more than 35 per cent of the country’s ₦23.96 trillion capital expenditure budget for 2025.

Obi further claimed that the figure exceeds the combined budgetary allocations to the education and health sectors, stressing that such funds, if properly managed, could have significantly improved infrastructure, healthcare, education, job creation and economic growth.

He maintained that the development reflects a pattern of poor financial management by the current administration and warned that continued disregard for established public finance procedures could worsen poverty and undermine confidence in government institutions.

Describing the administration as “grossly corrupt, incompetent and insensitive,” Obi renewed his call for President Tinubu to resign, insisting that the government has failed to deliver on its campaign promises and adequately address the country’s economic and security challenges.

As of the time of filing this report, the Presidency and the Federal Government had not issued any official response to Obi’s allegations.