The All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected allegations by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar that the 2026 Service-Wide Vote (SWV) was designed to secretly finance President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election campaign, describing the claim as false, baseless and unsupported by evidence.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, the APC said Atiku’s allegation was “highly mischievous” and based on speculation rather than facts.
According to the ruling party, the Service-Wide Vote is a long-established budgetary provision used to cater for government-wide obligations and unforeseen expenditures after the annual budget has been passed. It stressed that the SWV is neither a secret fund nor an illegal account.
The APC maintained that Atiku failed to provide any evidence to support his claim that the Tinubu administration intended to use the budgetary provision for political purposes ahead of the 2027 general election.
The statement 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 party argued that a former vice president should understand the concept of the Service-Wide Vote, describing it as an elementary principle of public finance that exists in many democracies to address unforeseen government expenditures.
The APC also accused Atiku of attempting to project his past onto the current administration, alleging that his record in public office was associated with corruption and fiscal mismanagement.
It further criticised the former vice president for repeatedly contesting presidential elections without presenting what it described as a clear development agenda for the country.
Defending President Tinubu’s administration, the APC highlighted several initiatives, including the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), implementation of the new national minimum wage, the Consumer Credit Scheme, the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Initiative, tax reforms, and increased investments in infrastructure, healthcare and agriculture.
The party insisted that the Tinubu administration remains committed to implementing its Renewed Hope Agenda and improving the welfare of Nigerians.
The APC’s response follows allegations made by Atiku in May, in which he claimed that the Tinubu administration and APC governors were diverting public funds into dedicated accounts to finance the president’s 2027 re-election campaign.
Through his media aide, Paul Ibe, Atiku alleged that the diversion of public resources was worsening economic hardship, insecurity and poverty, while linking disagreements within the APC Governors’ Forum over Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocations to the alleged campaign financing.
