Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has alleged that President Bola Tinubu’s administration concealed a N12.8 trillion allocation under the Service-Wide Vote (SWV) in the 2026 Federal Budget, demanding a full explanation for what he described as an unprecedented increase.
Atiku made the allegation in a statement issued on Monday by his spokesperson, Phrank Shaibu.
He claimed that the N12.8 trillion allocation was warehoused under the Service-Wide Vote in the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, describing it as evidence of opaque and unaccountable public spending.
The former vice president described the 2026 Federal Budget as “the most brazen assault on transparency and fiscal responsibility in Nigeria’s democratic history,” citing what he called disturbing revelations surrounding the Service-Wide Vote allocation.
According to Atiku, about 84 per cent of the entire 2026 budget is concentrated in just 10 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), with N12.8 trillion placed under the Service-Wide Vote.
He further alleged that the allocation rose from N638 billion in the 2025 budget to N12.8 trillion in the 2026 Appropriation Act, representing an increase of approximately 1,918 per cent within one year.
“President Tinubu owes Nigerians a detailed explanation. No responsible government can expect citizens to accept a nineteen-fold increase in a notoriously opaque budgetary provision without disclosing exactly who will spend the money, what it will be spent on, and under what legal authority,” Atiku said.
He added that if the Tinubu administration failed to explain the unprecedented Service-Wide Vote allocation, Nigerians would be justified in questioning its purpose, alleging that the funds could be used to finance the APC’s political machinery and President Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
“A government with nothing to hide does not conceal trillions behind opaque budgetary headings,” he added.
