2026 Budget: Zamfara Govt Promoting Illegally in Governance – APC Alleged
Zamfara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has drawn the attention of the people of the state and the Federal Government to what it described as persistent illegalities allegedly being perpetrated by the state government under Governor Dauda Lawal.
The party also accused the leadership of the State House of Assembly of engaging in improper conduct, particularly in matters relating to the annual appropriation bill, internal revenue generation, and public expenditure.
In a statement issued by the APC Publicity Secretary in Zamfara State, Yusuf Idris Gusau, the party expressed deep concern over the governor’s recent presentation of his third appropriation bill, amounting to over N861 billion.
According to the APC, the bill was submitted to a House of Assembly session full of flaws, despite what they termed the government’s failure in implementing last year’s budget, which the party alleges was also passed in a suspicious, unconstitutional, and illegal manner.”
The statement further noted that, as with the previous year, the 2025 budget proposal was presented to fewer than two-thirds of the 24-member House of Assembly, a move the APC says violates the Nigerian Constitution, which requires a two-thirds majority for decisions involving budgets, impeachments, and other critical legislative actions.
“Like last year, the 2025 budget proposal was presented to less than two third of the 24-member House of Assembly which is in gross violation of the nation’s constitution which requires a two third majority on issues bordering budget, impeachment and other related matters and since the abnormality was not challenged by all but the opposition APC, the governor took it for granted by repeating the same violation today”
The APC lamented that “because this anomaly went unchallenged last year by all but the opposition, the governor has chosen to repeat it”
In what the party described as an attempt to avoid scrutiny and accountability, journalists were barred from covering the budget presentation.
The party also alleged that, the event was held behind closed doors at the Jibril Bala Yakubu Secretariat conference hall rather than at the State House of Assembly complex — a decision the APC labelled “dictatorial and totally condemnable.”
The APC also criticized the absence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s portrait, the coat of arms, and even the governor’s official photograph at the venue, noting that only the Speaker’s portrait was displayed — a situation they described as unconstitutional.
“In order to avoid questions that will compel necessary response from the governor, the government and the legislature barred journalists from covering the event which held behind closed doors at the Jibril Bala Yakubu Secretariat conference hall away from the state House of Assembly complex which is totally condemnable and an act of dictatorship”
According to the statement, the executive arm, in collaboration with the legislature, pre emptively suspended lawmakers across party lines whom they suspected might challenge the budget proposal.
This action allegedly reduced the House to just 10 members for the presentation.
Given these developments, the Zamfara APC called on the Federal Government to suspend federal allocation to the state as an initial step until proper constitutional procedures are followed.
REL/AMINU DALHATU