2025 budget unrealistic, anti-people — PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party has dismissed the N47.9 trillion 2025 federal budget proposal presented by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as “unrealistic, opaque, and insincere.”

In a statement issued on Wednesday by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, the party described the budget as anti-people, warning that its implementation would worsen insecurity, poverty, and despair across the nation.

Tinubu unveiled the 2025 budget proposal during a joint session of the National Assembly, allocating N4.91 trillion for defence and security, N4.06 trillion for infrastructure, N2.48 trillion for health, and N3.52 trillion for education.

The PDP criticised the budget presentation, alleging it was riddled with unverified economic figures and empty campaign promises.

“The N47.9 trillion 2025 federal budget is an anti-people proposal that, if implemented, will plunge the nation deeper into insecurity, poverty, and hopelessness,” the statement read.

The party accused the Tinubu-led administration of failing to make meaningful investments in critical sectors such as agriculture, electricity, petroleum, and small and medium-scale enterprises. These sectors, it argued, are essential for economic growth and stability.

The PDP further lambasted the budget’s lack of clarity, particularly on capital and recurrent expenditure details.

“The budget address was more of campaign rhetoric, filled with unsubstantiated economic statistics, false promises, and conjured performance claims. It lacked clear strategies to address insecurity, revive the economy, create jobs, and reduce the cost of living,” the statement continued.

The party expressed dismay over the President’s claim of an 85% performance rate for the 2024 budget without a breakdown between capital and recurrent expenditures.

The PDP also described as “ludicrous” Tinubu’s assertion that the 2025 budget would reduce inflation from 34.6% to 15% and improve the Naira’s exchange rate from N1,700 to N1,500 per dollar.

“With a staggering N134.3 trillion debt and no tangible investment in the productive sector, these projections are nothing more than voodoo economics,” the PDP said.

The party warned that the projected N13 trillion budget deficit and heavy reliance on taxes would further burden already impoverished citizens and businesses, shrinking the economy and deterring both domestic and foreign investment.

The PDP urged the National Assembly to reject the 2025 budget in its current form, invoking its constitutional powers to restructure the proposal to prioritise economic growth and citizens’ welfare.

“The National Assembly must ensure that the budget reflects the real needs of Nigerians by making provisions that are critical and pivotal to economic recovery and social stability,” the statement stated.