Lagos PDP Guber Hopeful Slams Sanwo-Olu’s ₦4.237trn 2026 Budget Over Figures, Transparency
Story: written by Joseph December 15,2025
A governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Funso Doherty, has faulted the ₦4.237 trillion 2026 budget proposal presented by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, raising concerns over alleged numerical inconsistencies, poor fiscal openness and misplaced spending priorities.
In an open letter dated 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 unclear and in urgent need of clarification before final 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 examination, with a five-week timeline to submit its report.
Doherty questioned the accuracy of the headline figures, noting that the proposed total expenditure of ₦4.237 trillion comprises ₦2.052 trillion in recurrent expenditure and ₦2.185 trillion in capital spending.
He argued, however, that the recurrent budget includes about ₦383 billion allocated for debt servicing, which he said should ordinarily fall under capital expenditure. According to him, this classification error distorts the actual size and structure of the budget.
The PDP aspirant also raised concerns about inconsistencies within the proposal, stating that when allocations to various sectors are summed up, they amount to about ₦3.4 trillion—far below the total budget figure announced.
“Clearly, there is a disconnect in the numbers presented, and one or more of these figures cannot be accurate,” he said.
Beyond the figures, Doherty criticised the Lagos State Government for what he described as a lack of transparency in the budgeting process. He noted that detailed budget documents are often withheld from the public until after the Appropriation Act has been passed, limiting public scrutiny and informed debate.
He further questioned the high level of spending on consultancy and professional services, alleging that such expenses account for nearly 15 per cent of total recurrent expenditure.
“At that scale, it is difficult to justify the value being delivered or explain why such a significant portion of public funds is repeatedly allocated to these services,” Doherty stated.
He also accused the state government of retreating on transparency commitments despite higher revenues following fuel subsidy removal and currency devaluation. According to him, information on contract awards is no longer consistently published by the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency, contrary to legal requirements.
On budget priorities, Doherty argued that critical social sectors such as education, health, housing and water supply remain underfunded. He claimed that over the past five years, these sectors collectively received just 17 per cent of total government spending.
He maintained that in a state with a large youth population like Lagos, education and health should each attract allocations of around 15 per cent.
Doherty described it as alarming that the capital allocation to the Lagos State House of Assembly in 2025 reportedly exceeded the combined allocations for health and education.
According to him, the effects of sustained underinvestment are evident in declining public school outcomes, housing deficits and under-five mortality rates.
He also criticised what he termed unrealistic revenue projections, pointing out that while the 2026 budget anticipates revenues of ₦4.237 trillion, actual revenue as of September 2025 stood at ₦2.07 trillion, compared to a full-year projection of ₦3.37 trillion.
“Consistent overestimation of revenue weakens planning, prioritisation and effective implementation of government programmes,” he warned.
While acknowledging modest improvements in budget preparation, Doherty urged the House of Assembly to insist on greater transparency from the executive arm.
He called on lawmakers to ensure that comprehensive budget proposals for 2026 and future fiscal years are made publicly accessible during the legislative process, before they are passed into law.
Efforts to get the Lagos State Government’s response were unsuccessful, as the Governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Gboyega Akosile, was not reachable at the time of filing this repor
