2026 Budget: Verbal Spat Erupts Between Atiku and APC Regarding N12.8 Trillion Funding Plan

The controversy surrounding the N12.8tn Service-Wide Vote in the 2026 Appropriation Act intensified on Wednesday, with the All Progressives Congress and the media office of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar exchanging accusations over the allocation's size, purpose, and transparency.

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The APC dismissed Atiku's concerns as mischievous and ignorant of basic public finance principles, while Atiku's media office challenged the Federal Government to explain the sharp increase in the allocation and publish details of how the funds would be spent.

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The controversy began after Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, called on the National Assembly to conduct an exhaustive investigation of all allocations under the Service-Wide Vote, particularly the N2.19tn personnel provision.

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In a statement, Atiku urged the parliament to demand full disclosure of the beneficiaries, legal justification, and expenditure framework for every naira allocated under the heading, stating that a government that cannot account for its spending has lost the moral standing to ask citizens to make sacrifices.

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Atiku's Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications, Phrank Shaibu, issued the statement on Tuesday, with Atiku saying that the time has come to open the books, reveal the facts, and restore transparency and accountability to Nigeria's budgeting process.

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The APC, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, accused Atiku of making an unsubstantiated allegation designed to mislead Nigerians and divert attention from the administration of President Bola Tinubu's achievements.

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The party described Atiku's position as either highly mischievous or a reflection of a disturbing lack of understanding of basic public finance principles, stating that Atiku did not advance any facts to verify his sensational claim.

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The APC explained that a Service-Wide Vote is a long-established budgetary mechanism designed to cater for government-wide obligations and unforeseen expenditures that arise after the annual budget has been passed, similar to contingency arrangements in major economies and democracies.

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The party criticized Atiku's record in public office, accusing him of attempting to discredit the Tinubu administration and stating that the ghost of his sordid past haunts him.

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The APC said that Atiku, as a serial presidential contestant, has never articulated a clear vision or coherent plan for Nigeria's development, but has remained a petty peddler of fake news and doomsday narratives.

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The party cited various programmes and interventions, including the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, the new national minimum wage, and the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative, as examples of the Federal Government's demonstrated fiscal responsibility.

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The APC stated that it remains focused on realizing the Renewed Hope Agenda, rebuilding the country's economy, deepening institutional reforms, expanding public infrastructure, and improving living conditions for all Nigerians.

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Atiku's media office, in a statement signed by his Strategic Media Associate, Olusola Sanni, challenged the APC to address the central issue: the increase in the Service-Wide Vote from N638.34bn in 2024 to over N12.8tn in 2026.

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The statement questioned what emergency or unforeseen expenditure justifies the increase, representing an estimated 1,918 per cent rise within two years, and argued that such growth requires detailed justification beyond describing the provision as a contingency arrangement.

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Atiku's media office acknowledged that Service-Wide Votes are recognized components of government budgeting but questioned the size and level of disclosure surrounding the allocation under the Tinubu administration.

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The media office alleged that some portions of the allocation are linked to projects that lack sufficient details, arguing that inadequate disclosure could undermine public confidence in the budgeting process.

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The office accused the APC-led administration of failing to adequately address previous concerns over alleged irregularities in budgetary allocations, including claims of duplicated provisions and unclear project descriptions.

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The media office maintained that raising questions about public expenditure is part of the responsibility of opposition parties and concerned citizens, stating that Nigerians are not interested in political insults but want answers.

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Olusola Sanni said that insults cannot substitute for accountability, and that the APC's abuse will not identify the projects or account for trillions of taxpayers' money.

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The media office called on the Federal Government to publish details of the allocation, including the projects covered, beneficiaries, implementing agencies, and the legal basis for each expenditure.

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The 2026 budget has continued to attract scrutiny from opposition figures, civil society organizations, and fiscal analysts, who have called for greater disclosure of public spending to strengthen accountability and public confidence in government finances.