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Lagos PDP governorship aspirant faults Sanwo-Olu’s N4.237tn 2026 budget proposal

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A governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Lagos State, Funso Doherty, has criticised the N4.237 trillion 2026 budget proposal presented by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, alleging inaccuracies in the figures, weak fiscal transparency, and questionable spending priorities.

In an open letter dated Thursday, December 11, 2025, and addressed to the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Doherty described the budget estimates submitted to lawmakers on November 25, 2025, as flawed and in need of urgent clarification before legislative approval.

The Lagos State House of Assembly has since passed the appropriation bill through second reading and referred it to the House Committee on Economic Planning and Budget for detailed scrutiny, with a mandate to report back within five weeks.

In his letter, Doherty argued that the headline figures in the budget were incorrectly presented.

He noted that the proposal outlined a total expenditure of N4.237 trillion, made up of N2.052 trillion in recurrent spending and N2.185 trillion in capital expenditure.

However, he pointed out that the recurrent component reportedly includes about N383 billion earmarked for debt servicing, which he argued should be classified as capital expenditure.

According to him, this misclassification distorts the true size of both the recurrent and capital budgets, potentially rendering the overall figures inaccurate.

Doherty also questioned the internal coherence of the proposal, stating that when sectoral allocations were added together, they amounted to roughly N3.4 trillion, significantly below the total budget figure presented.

“One or both sets of figures cannot be correct,” he said.

Beyond numerical discrepancies, the PDP aspirant criticised what he described as the Lagos State Government’s lack of transparency in the budgeting process.

He argued that the public is routinely denied access to detailed budget proposals until after the Appropriation Act has been passed, limiting opportunities for independent review and public input.

He raised concerns over the scale of spending on consultancy and professional services, noting that such costs allegedly account for nearly 15 per cent of the state’s total recurrent expenditure.

“At that scale, it is unclear what services justify these recurring costs and why such a large proportion of public funds is being devoted to them,” he said.

Doherty also accused the state government of backsliding on transparency despite increased revenues following the removal of fuel subsidies and currency devaluation.

He claimed that information on contract awards was no longer being routinely published by the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency, as required by law.

On spending priorities, Doherty argued that Lagos State has consistently underfunded key social sectors essential for human development.

He said that over a five-year period, combined spending on education, health, housing, and water supply accounted for only 17 per cent of total government expenditure.

According to him, in a state with a youthful population such as Lagos, education and health should each receive allocations of close to 15 per cent.

He described it as disturbing that the 2025 capital allocation to the Lagos State House of Assembly alone reportedly exceeded the combined allocations for health and education.

Doherty said the consequences of what he termed prolonged underinvestment were visible in poor public school outcomes, persistent housing shortages, and under-five mortality rates.

He also criticised what he called a pattern of overly optimistic revenue forecasts in Lagos budgets.

He noted that while the 2026 budget projects total revenue of N4.237 trillion, actual revenues as of September 2025 stood at N2.07 trillion, against a full-year projection of N3.37 trillion.

“Persistent overestimation of revenue undermines effective planning, prioritisation, and execution of government programmes,” he said.

While acknowledging some marginal improvements in budget preparation, Doherty urged the House of Assembly to demand greater openness from the executive.

He called on lawmakers to ensure that detailed budget proposals for 2026 and subsequent fiscal years are made publicly available during the legislative process, before passage into law.

Efforts to obtain a response from the Lagos State Government were unsuccessful, as the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Gboyega Akosile, could not be reached for comment as of the time of filing this report.




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Atiku, ADC can’t recover from Babachir Lawal’s damage – Imran Wakili

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Political commentator, Imran Wakili has claimed that the African Democratic Congress, ADC, and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar may be unable to recover from the political setbacks allegedly caused by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal.

In a post shared on X on Thursday, Wakili argued that Babachir’s actions had led to the exit of several prominent political figures from the ADC, leaving the party significantly weakened.

“The damage Babachir did to Atiku and ADC—there is no coming back from it! BINDOW is GONE, nobody is left in ADC except Atiku himself.

“Bindow gone, why? Babachir. Abbo gone, why? Babachir. Binani gone, why? Babachir. Nyako gone, why? Babachir. Nafiu Bala legal case, why? Babachir,” Wakili wrote.

DAILY POST recalls that Lawal resigned his membership of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, last month.

The former SGF said he could not remain in a party he accused of operating a “rigging machine” ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He also accused Atiku and his allies of pursuing ethnic and religious interests, arguing that the former vice president’s emergence as a presidential candidate would ultimately strengthen President Bola Tinubu’s chances of securing a second term.




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Electoral Act: National Assembly bought to get Tinubu back to power – Udenta

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A political analyst and founding National Secretary of Alliance for Democracy, Professor Udenta Udenta, says the National Assembly was procured to amend the Electoral Act to get President Bola Tinubu reinstated into power.

Udenta made this statement on Thursday when he appeared as a guest in an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Prime Time’.

He also questioned how the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, under Tinubu’s administration stopped primaries in 30th May.

“The National Assembly was procured to amend the Electoral Act to get Tinubu reinstated into power.

“Since the inception of this government in 2023, we have discussed this matter. The dwindling or shrinking civic spaces, the brutal assault on labour centres, the weaponization via lawfare of the criminal justice system.

“The war declared on political parties, that is multi-party democracy, by a regime tiptoeing into totalitarianism, not just even what they call authoritative sort of construct of power, but a hybrid regime.

“How come the same INEC under Tinubu stopped primaries in 30th May? Because they didn’t even think opposition parties would succeed at their primaries,” he said.




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2027: Imo APC chieftain, Nlemadim dumps party over marginalisation of Ngor Okpala

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A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Bona Nlemadim, has officially dumped the party and joined the opposition Action Peoples Party, APP.

Nlemadim cited the age-long  marginalization of Ngor Okpala local government Area of the state where he hails from as reason for his decision.

This was contained in an open letter he personally signed and made available to APC members in Ngor Okpala, dated June 25, 2026.

The APC chieftain, who was an active member of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in 2014  transiting with the former governor of lmo state, Rochas Okorocha, supported the party and its candidates in various election cycles. 

He said, “Like you all, I stand on the mandate of our President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Not only will I vote for him in the forthcoming election, but I will also encourage my followers to do the same.”

The party chieftain expressed dismay at the continued marginalization of the local government in the politics of Imo State, using the case of Dr. Chijioke Kaduru  as an example.

He said, “When he came strongly into the arena and expressed interest to represent Owerri Zone in the senate in the coming political dispensation, I was excited. I believed that God had sent us a candidate without blemish– a young man with integrity, sound education and sufficient resources to pursue his ambition.

“For over two years, he transversed the component LGAs that make up Owerri Zone. 

“He touched the lives of many in the zone, more so in our own local government, and left no one in doubt about his capacity, his vision as well as his political direction.

“Most of us on this platform participated in his programs and supported his ambition. I salute those patriotic sons and daughters of Ngor Okpala.

“Unfortunately, our hopes were dashed. At the end of the consensus primaries, Ngor Okpala was denied the ticket; which was instead, returned to Owerri North, where Senator Ezenwa Onyenwuchi has held sway for the past seven years. 

“The Imo Charter of Equity enunciated by our amiable Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, was jettisoned. Like the late music legend Sir Warrior sang, “Oke ru anyi aka ekearia ya”.

“I was disillusioned by the outcome, which was unfair and devoid of equity. To rub it in, Ngor Okpala was also denied the House of Representatives ticket for our constituency. 

“As much as I would like to remain a loyal party member, I must state unequivocally that these developments are painful and unjust, as they suggest that no one cares about us. Yet we are pressured to sing hallelujah while enduring severe pains.”

According to Nlemadim, over 14 years of APC rule in Imo state and the full participation in party activities, he cannot drive from Orie Nguru to Umuewere, a distance of one kilometer, adding that the gains of democracy have completely eluded Ngor Okpala people despite the loyalty and commitment to party ideals.

“The low hanging fruit being peddled around now is that the governorship ticket will be ceded to Ngor Okpala. Really? As much as I would wish this becomes a reality, I must restrain myself from such an illusion.

“If it happens, though, we will forever be grateful to our Governor, Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma and will support any of our own that gets the ticket. 

“For now, we have become the proverbial “Achara di woro miri” and must seek our own water fountain. No outsider will do it for us. Without mincing words, let an Ngor Okpala man fix Ngor Okpala!ll

“I love our party, and have enjoyed beautiful relationships with most of our leaders and members. However, patriotism and love for my people and their welfare far exceed my love and loyalty for the party. 

“To be at peace with myself, I have decided to give my unalloyed support to any son or daughter of Ngor Okpala who secures a ticket for an elective position irrespective of party affiliation. 

“Arising from the above, I would like to take a sabbatical leave from the party to enable me to devote my time and commitment to the Mazi Senatorial Project. I hope that in the end, this will give me the peace of mind and satisfaction that comes with supporting one of our own.

“I will excuse myself from this platform within the next 24hours to avoid being accused of engaging in anti-party activities. Despite this, we remain friends.

“Politics will come and go. Political parties will come and go. But we will remain sons and daughters of Ngor Okpala until the very end,” he further stated. 




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