RismadarVoice Reporters
September 29, 2026
The Kebbi State Government and the African Democratic Congress, ADC, have traded claims over the management of the state’s finances, following the opposition party’s demand for an account of ₦627.14 billion it says accrued to the state between May 2023 and October 2025.
The dispute has become a political issue ahead of the 2027 elections, with the state government rejecting suggestions of financial mismanagement and insisting that budget projections should not be treated as revenue actually received.
Bello Abdullahi, Director of Strategic Communications of the ADC in Kebbi, said the party arrived at the ₦627.14 billion figure using data it attributed to the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and the World Bank.
Abdullahi challenged the state government to publish its own figures if it disputed the ADC’s calculations.
The opposition party is also demanding detailed records showing government receipts, expenditure, audited accounts and procurement information during the period under review.
It raised questions about expenditure in agriculture, works and transport, education and health, while also seeking explanations for reported spending of about ₦1 billion on vehicle maintenance and approximately ₦4.6 billion on local travel and transportation.
The Kebbi State Government has rejected the opposition’s interpretation of the financial figures.
Ibrahim Abubakar Jombali, Special Adviser to Governor Nasir Idris on Public Enlightenment and Orientation, said the ADC had confused projected revenue contained in the budget with money actually received by the government.
“A budget is not a bank account,” Jombali said, explaining that government budgets contain projected revenue and planned expenditure.
He also rejected claims surrounding the Capital Development Fund, maintaining that the difference between projected and realised revenue did not amount to missing money.
Official figures contained in Kebbi’s 2025 Citizens’ Budget show that the state approved a ₦580.33 billion budget, including a projected ₦276.27 billion in Capital Development Fund receipts and ₦451.01 billion in capital expenditure.
The state government subsequently said only ₦47.45 billion of the projected Capital Development Fund was realised, leaving a shortfall exceeding ₦228 billion.
It maintained that the difference represented revenue that did not materialise rather than funds received and subsequently unaccounted for.
The government also said total revenue, including the opening balance, stood at about ₦275.39 billion, while expenditure amounted to approximately ₦239.77 billion.
Actual capital expenditure was put at about ₦152.85 billion.
The ADC, however, maintained that the government’s explanation did not resolve its broader questions concerning revenue received by the state and how public funds were spent.
The party called on the state House of Assembly, Accountant-General, Auditor-General and relevant procurement authorities to make detailed financial records available for public scrutiny.
The dispute has also drawn former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami into the political exchange.
Malami is the ADC’s governorship candidate in Kebbi for the 2027 election.
The APC in the state has responded to the ADC’s criticism by raising questions about assets linked to Malami that have been involved in separate court proceedings.
The party has argued that standards of financial accountability demanded from the Kebbi State Government should also apply to political figures associated with the opposition.
The competing claims have placed Kebbi’s revenue, expenditure and budget implementation under increased political scrutiny as the state approaches the 2027 elections.
