Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has again called on President Bola Tinubu to resign, citing the International Monetary Fund’s disclosure that Nigeria recorded significant off-budget spending in 2025.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Obi said the IMF’s revelation that public expenditure equivalent to about two per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was incurred outside the approved budget raises serious questions about transparency, accountability and fiscal discipline under the current administration.
According to him, the expenditure, estimated at about ₦8.83 trillion, was not captured in the national budget and therefore escaped legislative approval and oversight.
Obi described the development as alarming, noting that the amount represents more than one-third of the country’s ₦23.96 trillion capital expenditure budget for 2025.
He also pointed out that the figure is higher than the combined allocations to the education and health sectors this year.
“The IMF has now revealed that about ₦8.83 trillion spent in 2025 was not reflected in the budget. This expenditure was neither appropriated nor subjected to legislative oversight. That is deeply troubling,” he said.
The former Anambra State governor argued that such resources, if properly managed, could have been invested in healthcare, education, infrastructure, industrial growth and job creation instead of being spent outside the budgetary process.
He said the IMF report reinforces what he described as a recurring pattern of financial mismanagement.
“This is not an isolated case. It reflects a pattern of grand corruption that has become associated with this administration,” Obi said.
He warned that continued disregard for established public finance procedures threatens the country’s economic stability, national security and democratic institutions.
Obi also accused the Tinubu administration of failing to prioritise the welfare of Nigerians despite worsening economic hardship and rising poverty.
According to him, a government genuinely committed to improving the lives of its citizens would ensure that public funds are managed transparently and directed towards critical sectors.
The opposition figure said the latest disclosure strengthens his earlier position that Tinubu should leave office.
He recalled that his previous call for the president’s resignation was based on what he described as poor governance, failure to deliver on campaign promises and the administration’s inability to tackle insecurity and economic challenges.
“With the steady stream of revelations about corruption and the government’s failure to address the welfare and security of Nigerians, the most honourable course of action is for President Tinubu to resign,” he said.
Obi urged Nigerians to continue demanding accountability from public office holders, insisting that due process in the management of public finances must not be abandoned.
His comments followed last Wednesday’s disclosure by IMF Resident Representative in Nigeria, Christian Ebeke, who said government spending equivalent to about two per cent of Nigeria’s GDP was carried out outside the budget in 2025, making the country’s fiscal deficit appear lower than its actual financing needs.
The renewed criticism also comes a day after former Vice President Atiku Abubakar called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the alleged off-budget spending.
