PDP rejects Tinubu’s ₦58.18trn 2026 budget, warns of renewed suffering
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected President Bola Tinubu’s 2026 budget proposal, describing it as a fiscal plan that will deepen economic hardship and “renew Nigerians’ suffering”.
President Tinubu on Friday presented a ₦58.18 trillion budget estimate for the 2026 fiscal year to a joint session of the National Assembly. The appropriation bill, titled Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience and Shared Prosperity, outlines projected revenues of ₦34.33 trillion against total expenditure of ₦58.18 trillion, with ₦15.25 trillion allocated to recurrent non-debt spending and ₦26.08 trillion earmarked for capital expenditure.
The proposal also sets aside ₦5.41 trillion for defence and security, representing about 9.3 per cent of the total budget.
Reacting in a statement, PDP spokesperson Ini Ememobong said the budget fails to address the realities faced by Nigerians amid rising living costs and economic strain. He dismissed the government’s optimism, arguing that the document reflects “consolidated renewed sufferings” rather than shared prosperity.
The opposition party faulted President Tinubu’s claim that the economy is stabilising, insisting that Nigerians continue to experience worsening hardship while political leaders enjoy relative affluence. Ememobong said economic growth figures cited by the administration do not translate into improved living standards for the majority of citizens.
He cited 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, as evidence of a disconnect between macroeconomic indicators and everyday realities.
