APC dismisses Atiku’s claim on service-wide vote, defends Tinubu’s budget

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected allegations by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar that the 2026 Service-Wide Vote (SWV) in the federal budget was designed to fund President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election campaign.

In a statement on Wednesday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, described the allegation as “highly mischievous” and accused the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate of making claims without evidence.

According to the APC, Atiku’s allegation reflected either “disturbing ignorance of basic principles of public finance” or a deliberate attempt to mislead Nigerians.

Morka said, “Beyond the headline allegation, Atiku did not advance any facts to verify his sensational claim, which is based purely on conjecture and calculated to inflame, mislead, and distract Nigerians from the visible and steady progress recorded under President Tinubu’s administration.”

The ruling party explained that the Service-Wide Vote is a long-established budgetary provision used to meet government-wide obligations and unforeseen expenditures after the annual budget has been approved.

“A Service-Wide Vote is not a secret fund or an illegal slush account, as Atiku has baselessly and recklessly alleged,” the statement said.

The APC also accused the former vice president of attempting to tarnish the administration’s image, arguing that the Tinubu government had maintained fiscal discipline while implementing key social and economic programmes.

Morka said, “President Tinubu’s administration has continued to demonstrate fiscal responsibility and justify the use of public resources” through initiatives such as the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), the implementation of the new national minimum wage, the Consumer Credit Scheme, the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Initiative, and investments in infrastructure, healthcare and agriculture.