The Nigeria Democratic Congress, (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi on has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of grand corruption, citing an International Monetary Fund (IMF) assessment that about ₦8.83 trillion in public expenditure was not captured in Nigeria’s recent budget documents.

In a statement posted on X, Obi alleged that the off-budget expenditure demonstrated a pattern of financial mismanagement and a disregard for public finance rules.

“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,” Obi said.

The former Anambra State governor argued that the amount, which he said represented about two percent of Nigeria’s gross domestic product (GDP), exceeded the combined federal allocations to the education and health sectors and could have been used to improve infrastructure, create jobs and strengthen public services.

Obi described the development as evidence that the Tinubu administration was “grossly corrupt, incompetent and insensitive”, renewing his earlier call for the president to resign and urging Nigerians to hold the government accountable through lawful means.

His remarks followed concerns raised by the IMF over gaps in Nigeria’s fiscal reporting. IMF Resident Representative in Nigeria Christian Ebeke said this week that public expenditure equivalent to about two percent of GDP had not been recorded in recent official budgets, creating a discrepancy between the country’s reported fiscal deficit and its actual financing needs.

According to the IMF, some capital expenditure carried out outside the formal budget process was omitted from budget documents and implementation reports, making the fiscal deficit appear lower than it actually was.

The IMF did not characterise the omission as corruption but said the expenditure should be properly reported to improve fiscal transparency and present a more accurate picture of government finances.

The Presidency had not publicly responded to Obi’s latest allegations at the time of filing this report.