The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has taken a swipe at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, describing his administration as wasteful, frivolous and reckless.

The attack was over what the party describes as wasteful delegation of 1,411 Individuals to the Conference of the Parties (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Seyi Tinubu, one of the children of President Bola Tinubu, is among the registered participants at the Conference.

Other than Seyi, whose full name was written as Oluwaseyi Afolabi Tinubu on the delegate list, Olayinka Hakeem Tinubu, another child of Tinubu, is on the list.

Both of them are 15426 and 15427 on the spreadsheet and are designated as management staff at the State House.

The party queries the President over his over-bloated delegation, asked him to come clean on government roll call and what it cost the government.

The party frowned at the delegation reportedly brimming with cronies, political minions and their mistresses at huge expense to the nation.

It further held that this incidence is a further validation that the Tinubu-led APC administration is wasteful in the application of the scarce resources of the nation, especially at a time Nigerians are yearning for prudent management of resources to achieve the desired infrastructural regeneration, job creation and revamping of the economy.

The PDP, in a statement by its spokesman, Debo Ologunagba, dismissed what it termed feeble attempt by the Presidency to rationalize the over-bloated delegation.

According to the statement, the government was only trying to hide under genuine sub-national officials, businesses, journalists and Civil societies, who are travelling at their own expense to cover the baggage of cronies, mistresses and other hangers-on associated with the Presidency.

The party said some part of the delegation are reportedly attending at government’s expense and have no relevance whatsoever at the Conference.

"Our Party and all well-meaning Nigerians are appalled by the level of profligacy inherent in the APC administration whose actions and policies so far are skewed towards the promotion and institutionalization of corruption.

"The attempt to deceive Nigerians even when the list of the delegation is in the public domain, shows that the APC administration is irredeemably depraved.

"We ask, why would a country whose citizens are dying daily from inability to purchase necessities be willing to fritter its resources and scarce foreign exchange in such a manner? It only points to the fact that this administration is not interested in the good of the generality of our citizens but for a select few positioned to fleece the nation’s resources.

"Our Party challenges the Presidency to come clean by making public the names of the official delegation sponsored by the Federal Government to the Conference, the relevance of such individuals to the Conference and the total cost of such sponsorship on the nation.

"Of course, Nigerians have the list and they know the genuine, officials of sub-national governments and other self-sponsored entities at the Conference," the PDP said.

The PDP called on the National Assembly, pursuant to its Constitutional duty under Section 88 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) which empowers it to investigate and expose corruption by any organ of government, to immediately commence investigation into this embarrassing revelation and impose appropriate sanction on anyone or Institution found culpable in that regard.

The party demanded that President Tinubu should be ready to refund any Federal Government fund improperly spent to sponsor any individual, who has no relevance at the Conference, adding that such funds should be channeled to projects that have direct bearing on the wellbeing of Nigerians.

Of the 1,411 delegates, according to BusinessDay, 590 were sponsored to attend the conference by the Nigerian government 'which is currently battling with record inflation, an out-of-control exchange rate, a ballooning debt profile, and millions of its citizens sliding into poverty. The total to-and-from flight ticket for the 590 delegates is estimated at N885 million.'

According to the paper, N885 million was arrived at using flight rates from international airline operators.