PDP criticizes Tinubu’s 2026 budget, labels it a “budget of renewed suffering”
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2026 budget, describing it as a “budget of consolidated renewed sufferings” for Nigerians. In a statement on Friday, the opposition party argued that despite the government’s claims of economic stability, ordinary citizens continue to face rising poverty and hardship.
The PDP cited the 2025 World Bank Poverty & Equity Brief, noting that more than 30.9 per cent of Nigerians live below the international extreme poverty line. The party also questioned the 3.98 per cent economic growth highlighted in the budget, arguing it has not translated into improved living standards.
“While the President celebrates a 3.98 per cent growth rate, the reality for Nigerians is excruciating hunger, a high cost of living, and other indices of economic hardship,” the PDP statement said, contrasting it with the 6.87 per cent growth recorded in 2013 under the previous administration, driven largely by non-oil sectors such as agriculture and trade.
On security allocations, the PDP welcomed the funds but stressed that allocation alone is insufficient, urging “effective and transparent execution to ensure that security funding translates into modern equipment, adequate ammunition, improved intelligence, and better welfare for security personnel.”
The party also raised concerns over the delayed execution of the 2024 capital budget, extended into December 2025 while the 2025 budget is still in force. “The operation of different budgets at the same time undermines fiscal discipline, transparency, and accountability,” it warned, calling for greater transparency and accountability in government finances to maintain public trust.
