Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has questioned an alleged N6.44 billion allocation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers despite Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the tournament.
Atiku also alleged that the Tinubu administration was attempting to manipulate the narrative surrounding the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) controversy. According to him, the government wants to shield officials from scrutiny and shift responsibility to the political opposition.
Atiku queries budget provision
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku questioned the budgetary provision for the World Cup qualifiers.
He noted that Nigeria was eliminated from the qualification race in November 2025. However, the Federal Government allegedly included N6.44 billion for a “Special Presidential Support Group for the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers” in the 2026 budget.
He questioned the purpose of the allocation and asked who approved the expenditure after Nigeria had already exited the competition.
“How does a serious government budget N6.44 billion for presidential support for World Cup qualifiers after the country had already been eliminated?”
Ex-VP links allocation to PFIPC controversy
Atiku argued that the budget provision should be viewed alongside the ongoing PFIPC controversy.
He claimed the recent arrest of the council’s self-acclaimed Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi, formed part of a plan to divert attention from the real issues. He also alleged that investigators intended to use the case to implicate opposition figures.
According to Atiku, the bigger concern is how an organisation the Presidency now describes as non-existent allegedly secured official recognition, recruited more than 300 personnel and reportedly received budgetary allocations.
Calls for independent investigation
The former vice president said the alleged activities could not have occurred without official collaboration or serious institutional failures.
Furthermore, he described the reported World Cup allocation as evidence of deeper problems within Nigeria’s budgeting process. He argued that the development had strengthened public concerns about wasteful spending and questionable appropriations.
Atiku maintained that the allegations deserve an independent, transparent and impartial investigation.
He also warned against any attempt to suppress the PFIPC controversy. According to him, the matter has damaged Nigeria’s international reputation and should receive a thorough investigation.
The Presidency has not officially responded to Atiku’s latest allegations at the time of filing this report.
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