The Labour Party (LP) has criticised the proposed N1.68 trillion 2026 budget of Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, describing it as unsustainable and potentially harmful to the long-term economic well-being of the state.
The party also declared that it would not enter into any alliance with other political parties ahead of the 2027 general elections, insisting that it would field candidates for all elective positions in Ogun State.
However, the party said it would support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
The South West Vice Chairman of the Labour Party, Abayomi Arabambi, made these remarks on Tuesday during the inauguration of newly elected executive members of the party’s Ogun State chapter at the press centre of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Iwe Iroyin, Abeokuta.
Governor Abiodun recently proposed a total expenditure of N1,668,997,993,125.44 for the 2026 fiscal year, representing a 63 per cent increase from the N1.054 trillion budget for 2025. Tagged “Budget of Sustainable Legacy,” the proposal allocates N624.76 billion (37 per cent) for recurrent expenditure and N1.044 trillion (63 per cent) for capital expenditure.
Arabambi argued that the size and structure of the proposed budget reflected poor fiscal judgment, urging the Abiodun administration to moderate the budget to a more realistic and sustainable level. He called for a clear, credible, and conservative financing framework that would reduce reliance on volatile revenue sources and debt financing, while subjecting all proposed projects to rigorous independent assessment.
He accused the All Progressives Congress-led administration of failing to deliver meaningful socio-economic improvements for residents of the state.
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“What is being presented as a N1.6 trillion budget cannot be regarded as a sustainable legacy. A genuine legacy must be rooted in fiscal responsibility, transparent governance, and expenditure that aligns with secure and verifiable revenue,” Arabambi said.
He further warned that unchecked borrowing and unrealistic projections could mortgage the future of the state and called on the Ogun State House of Assembly to exercise diligence in scrutinising the budget proposal.
Meanwhile, the newly elected Ogun State Chairman of the Labour Party, Mrs Oluwabukola Soyoye, thanked party members for the confidence reposed in her and pledged to mobilise more people into the party ahead of the 2027 elections.
Efforts to obtain a response from the Ogun State Government were unsuccessful, as calls and messages sent to the Special Adviser to the Governor on Information and Strategy, Mr Kayode Akinmade, were not returned as of the time of filing this report.