Atiku Challenges Tinubu Over ‘Missing 2% GDP’, Demands Probe into IMF Budget Revelation

The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has challenged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to explain what he described as the “missing two per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP),” following a reported disclosure by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that public expenditure equivalent to that amount was omitted from the country’s budget.

In a statement issued on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the alleged omission as a constitutional, legal and moral issue that requires urgent explanation from the Federal Government.

Citing Section 80 of the Constitution, the former Vice President argued that no money can be withdrawn from the Consolidated Revenue Fund without approval by the National Assembly.

“If, as the IMF has revealed, expenditure amounting to two per cent of Nigeria’s GDP was omitted from the budget process, then Nigerians are entitled to one simple question: Who stole the missing two per cent of our GDP?” Atiku asked.

He maintained that such an omission could not be dismissed as an accounting error, insisting that public funds could only have been authorised, approved and spent by government officials.

Atiku also linked the alleged budget discrepancy to the controversy surrounding the purported Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), describing both issues as evidence of what he called a pattern of institutional corruption within the Tinubu administration.

According to him, the existence of what the Presidency has described as a fictitious agency, allegedly with budgetary allocations, raises serious concerns about transparency in public finance.

The ADC presidential candidate further alleged that while the Federal Ministry of Health reportedly received only ₦36 million for critical health interventions despite a budget appropriation exceeding ₦218 billion, the alleged PFIPC was allocated about ₦1.3 billion.

He described the situation as a reflection of misplaced government priorities and institutionalised corruption.

Atiku also called on the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, to publicly explain how the alleged agency gained official recognition and interacted with government institutions.

He further referenced allegations by Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, the alleged promoter of the PFIPC, who claimed the dispute escalated after he allegedly refused to pay a 48 per cent kickback on a proposed ₦27.3 billion take-off grant.

According to Atiku, the allegations are too serious to be ignored and should be subjected to an independent and transparent investigation.

He urged the National Assembly, the Auditor-General of the Federation, the Public Accounts Committees, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to investigate both the IMF’s reported findings and the PFIPC controversy.

The former Vice President argued that Nigerians deserve a full account of how public funds were spent, warning that continued secrecy over government finances could erode public confidence in democratic governance.

As of the time of filing this report, the Presidency had not officially responded to Atiku’s latest allegations.