By Omeiza Ajayi, Abuja
Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has demanded an independent probe into a N6.44 billion budgetary allocation for a “Special Presidential Support Group for the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers”, despite Nigeria having already been eliminated from the qualification process in November 2025, about one month before the 2026 budget was presented to and considered by the National Assembly.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku queried how a serious government could budget such a sum for presidential support for World Cup qualifiers after the country had already been knocked out of contention, demanding to know who inserted the provision, who approved it and who was expected to benefit from an expenditure whose stated purpose had already ceased to exist.
“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?” Atiku queried.
