The media office of the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has called on the Federal Government to provide a detailed explanation for the reported N12.8 trillion Service-Wide Vote (SWV) contained in the 2026 Appropriation Act, describing the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s response to the issue as a sign of a “guilty conscience.”
The demand was made in a statement issued on Wednesday by Atiku’s Strategic Media Associate, Olusola Sanni, in response to comments by APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, who defended the Service-Wide Vote and dismissed Atiku’s criticism.
According to the statement, the APC failed to address what it described as legitimate concerns over the significant increase in the Service-Wide Vote, opting instead for personal attacks.
The Atiku Media Office questioned the rationale behind increasing the allocation from ₦638.34 billion in the 2024 budget to over ₦12.8 trillion in the 2026 Appropriation Act, an increase it estimated at approximately 1,918 percent within two years.
“It is remarkable that in his lengthy treatise, Mr. Morka failed to answer the central question: What emergency or unforeseen expenditure justifies increasing the Service-Wide Vote from ₦638.34 billion in 2024 to over ₦12.8 trillion in 2026?” the statement read.
While acknowledging that the Service-Wide Vote is a recognized component of Nigeria’s budgeting framework, the media office argued that Nigerians deserve a clear explanation regarding the scale, transparency and management of the allocation.
It further contended that if the expenditure is justified, the Federal Government should explain why the provision has grown to an amount it claimed rivals the combined budgets of critical sectors, including defence, education, healthcare and works.
The statement also alleged that several items captured under the allocation were either vaguely described or lacked adequate details, raising concerns about transparency and accountability.
“Even more disturbing is the fact that substantial portions of this allocation are tied to projects that are either vaguely described or not described at all. A contingency fund without specificity, accountability or transparency ceases to be a contingency provision and becomes precisely what Nigerians fear—a slush fund waiting to be abused,” the statement added.
The Atiku Media Office accused the APC of sidestepping key issues by responding with insults rather than addressing the concerns raised.
It also referenced previous controversies surrounding the Tinubu administration’s budgets, including allegations of duplicated appropriations and contentious project allocations, arguing that the latest concerns over the Service-Wide Vote warrant public scrutiny.
The statement concluded by urging the Federal Government to publish a comprehensive breakdown of the ₦12.8 trillion Service-Wide Vote, including the projects, beneficiaries, implementing agencies and legal basis for each expenditure, insisting that full disclosure is necessary to reassure Nigerians that public funds are being managed transparently and responsibly.
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