Atiku Seeks Investigation Into Controversial N6.44bn World Cup Budget

The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has called for an independent investigation into the controversial N6.44 billion budgetary allocation for a “Special Presidential Support Group for the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers,” questioning why such a provision was made after Nigeria had already failed to qualify for the tournament.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former vice president described the allocation as a disturbing example of fiscal irresponsibility and demanded that those responsible for inserting and approving the budget line be identified and held accountable.

Atiku noted that Nigeria was eliminated from the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign in November 2025, almost a month before the 2026 Appropriation Bill was presented to the National Assembly, making the budgetary allocation difficult to justify.

“How does a serious government budget N6.44 billion for presidential support for World Cup qualifiers after the country had already been eliminated? What competition was the money intended to support? Who inserted the provision, who approved it and who was expected to benefit from an expenditure whose stated purpose had already ceased to exist?” he queried.

The ADC standard-bearer argued that the controversy went beyond poor planning and represented a serious indictment of the integrity of Nigeria’s budgeting process.

According to him, the revelation reinforces growing public suspicion that the national budget has become a vehicle for questionable expenditures, wasteful allocations and projects lacking any legitimate public purpose.

Atiku linked the controversial allocation to the unfolding scandal surrounding the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), insisting that the matter deserved a thorough and independent investigation.

He maintained that the issue was no longer limited to allegations of impersonation or forgery by individuals, but had exposed deeper concerns about how government institutions allegedly recognised and facilitated the activities of an organisation whose legitimacy has been questioned.

“The scandal is not merely that one man allegedly impersonated public authority. The greater scandal is that the Tinubu administration allegedly opened the doors of the Nigerian state to him, allowed him to acquire the appearance and privileges of official legitimacy, and permitted him to interact with institutions and diplomatic interests in the name of the Federal Government,” Atiku said.

He, therefore, called for an independent probe into both the N6.44 billion World Cup budget allocation and the operations of the PFIPC, insisting that Nigerians deserve a full explanation of how such expenditures and institutional approvals were processed.

Atiku stressed that every official connected with the controversial budget provision and the PFIPC affair should be identified, investigated and held accountable where necessary, saying only a transparent inquiry would restore public confidence in the nation’s budgeting and governance processes.