The Kebbi State Government and the African Democratic Congress, ADC, have disagreed over the management of about N627.14 billion in revenue allegedly accruing to the state between May 2023 and October 2025, with the dispute becoming part of the political debate ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Kebbi ADC Campaign Council is demanding detailed records showing the revenue received by the state during the period, how the money was spent and the projects executed with the funds.
The opposition party said the N627.14 billion figure was obtained from information linked to the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the National Bureau of Statistics, the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and the World Bank.
The ADC said the state government should provide records of actual receipts, expenditure, procurement and completed projects if it disputes the amount being cited by the opposition.
The party also questioned the difference between projected revenue in government budgets and the funds actually received and spent by the state.
Among the areas raised by the ADC were spending on agriculture, works and transport, education and healthcare. The party also requested explanations for about N1 billion reportedly allocated to vehicle maintenance and roughly N4.6 billion for local travel and transportation.
The opposition further called for documents showing how funds allocated to various projects were approved and spent, as well as evidence of what was eventually delivered to residents.
The Kebbi State Government, however, rejected the allegations of financial mismanagement and said the ADC had confused projected revenue with money that was actually received.
Ibrahim Abubakar Jombali, Special Adviser to Governor Nasir Idris on Public Enlightenment and Orientation, explained that figures contained in a government budget represent estimates of expected income and planned spending, rather than money already held by the state.
The government maintained that the difference between projected and actual revenue should not be treated as missing funds because some expected income was not realised.
According to the state government, Kebbi received more than N172 billion from the Federation Account Allocation Committee, representing 82.6 per cent of its projected N209.25 billion allocation during the period under review. It also said internally generated revenue failed to meet its target.
The government said the revenue shortfall led to adjustments in expenditure and that almost N240 billion was eventually spent, including more than N152 billion on capital projects.
The figures are part of the wider dispute over Kebbi’s N580.33 billion 2025 budget, which had previously attracted questions over the state’s financial management.
The government said its Capital Development Fund had been projected at N276.27 billion but only N47.45 billion was realised. It maintained that the difference of more than N228 billion was unrealised revenue and not money that had disappeared.
The state further put total revenue, including the opening balance, at about N275.39 billion, while total expenditure was approximately N239.77 billion. It said actual capital expenditure stood at about N152.85 billion after the capital provision was revised from N451.01 billion to N442.38 billion.
Yahaya Sarki, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to Governor Idris, challenged the ADC to identify specific spending it considered unlawful, wasteful or unaccounted for instead of making broad accusations.
Sarki said the debate should focus not only on the amount of money received by the state but also on the way available funds were approved, spent and converted into projects and services.
The ADC, however, maintained that the government’s explanation had not addressed its demand for detailed financial and procurement documents covering the period in question.
The opposition party called on the Kebbi State House of Assembly, Accountant-General, Auditor-General and public procurement authorities to make the relevant records available for public scrutiny.
The financial dispute has also drawn the APC into the political exchange, with the ruling party questioning the accountability demands being made against the Kebbi government by the ADC and its supporters.
The APC has also raised issues concerning former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, who is supporting the ADC ahead of the 2027 election. The party referred to a separate forfeiture case involving properties linked to Malami and members of his family, using it to question the accountability standards being demanded by the former minister’s political camp.
The disagreement has therefore expanded beyond the state’s financial records, with the ADC, Kebbi Government and APC trading claims as political activities increase ahead of the 2027 elections.