APC Dismisses Atiku’s Claim On 2026 Service-Wide Vote, Calls It Standard Budget Tool
Njideka Ozoalor
The All Progressives Congress has rejected allegations by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar that funds in the 2026 budget under the Service-Wide Vote were earmarked for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 reelection campaign.
In a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja, APC National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka described Atiku’s claim as “highly mischievous” and based on “conjecture” rather than facts.
Morka said a Service-Wide Vote is a long-established budgetary mechanism used to address government-wide obligations and unforeseen expenditures that arise after the annual budget is passed. He added that similar contingency provisions exist in other major democracies and that the vote is not a secret or illegal fund.
“Beyond the headline allegation, Atiku did not advance any facts to verify his sensational claim,” the statement said. “It is calculated to inflame, mislead, and distract Nigerians from the visible and steady progress recorded under President Tinubu’s administration.”
The APC also took aim at Atiku’s record in government, saying “the ghost of his sordid past haunts” the ADC presidential candidate. The party accused him of attempting to lecture Nigerians on fiscal responsibility despite what it called “some of Nigeria’s darkest episodes of mindless corruption and profligacy.”
The statement further criticized Atiku for failing to articulate what the APC called “a clear vision or coherent plan for Nigeria’s development,” and accused him of spreading “baseless and inflammatory allegations.”
Administration lists key programs
To support its position on fiscal responsibility, the APC highlighted several initiatives of the Tinubu administration it said demonstrate prudent use of public resources.
They include the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, which the party said has enabled close to two million students to access higher education; the implementation of the new national minimum wage; the Consumer Credit Scheme; and the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative aimed at reducing transportation costs.
Other programs cited were food and other palliatives for vulnerable households, increased investments in infrastructure, healthcare and agriculture, expansion of the industrial sector to create jobs, and tax reforms designed to simplify the system and reduce the burden on low-income Nigerians.
The APC said it remains focused on delivering the Renewed Hope Agenda through economic rebuilding, institutional reforms, and expanded public infrastructure.
Atiku, who is running on the platform of the African Democratic Congress, had not issued a response to the APC statement as of press time.
