Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticized the All Progressives Congress (APC) for avoiding transparency regarding the ₦12.8 trillion Service-Wide Vote (SWV) included in the 2026 Appropriation Act. Atiku asserted that the ruling party’s aggressive reaction to his inquiries reveals a guilty conscience rather than genuine confidence in their financial planning.
In response to the APC’s claim that his accusations were unfounded and misleading, Atiku’s media associate, Olusola Sanni, clarified that the criticism is not directed at the legality of the SWV tool itself. Instead, the focus is on the massive 1,918 per cent increase in this allocation, which jumped from ₦638.34 billion in 2024 to the current ₦12.8 trillion figure.
Sanni questioned why APC National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka failed to explain the specific emergency requirements necessitating such a substantial hike over two years. He dismissed the party’s explanation of a contingency fund as inadequate, labeling it a vague excuse for a sum that rivals the combined budgets of the defense, education, health, and works sectors. Furthermore, the absence of itemized projects within the vote has fueled concerns that the funds might be misused.
The statement also highlighted a broader pattern of budget-related issues under the Bola Tinubu administration, such as duplicate line items and mysterious renovation costs, which have eroded public confidence. Sanni insisted that the APC’s reliance on personal attacks against Atiku does not address the core issue of fiscal accountability. Atiku remains firm in his demand for the federal government to release a detailed breakdown of the ₦12.8 trillion, specifying all beneficiaries and projects, or face continued public scrutiny.
