Atiku Challenges Tinubu Over ₦12.8tn Spendings, Demands Full Disclosure of 2026 Budget

• Atiku accuses Tinubu’s administration of concealing ₦12.8 trillion under the Service-Wide Vote in the 2026 budget, describing it as an unprecedented assault on transparency and fiscal accountability.

• The former Vice President says the Service-Wide Vote increased from ₦638 billion in the 2025 budget to ₦12.8 trillion in 2026, representing an extraordinary 1,918 per cent rise that demands full public disclosure.

• Atiku questions the ₦2.19 trillion personnel allocation under the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, asking the Federal Government to identify the beneficiaries and justify the expenditure.

• He calls on the National Assembly to conduct a comprehensive investigation into all Service-Wide Vote allocations, insisting that every kobo appropriated under the 2026 budget must be subjected to public scrutiny.

July 20, () — Former Vice President and Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has challenged President Bola Tinubu to publicly account for the ₦12.8 trillion appropriated under the Service-Wide Vote (SWV) in the 2026 Federal Budget.

It warned that no government can conceal such enormous public funds from Nigerians without eroding confidence in the country’s fiscal management.

Atiku, in a statement issued on Monday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, described the 2026 Appropriation Act as “the most brazen assault on transparency and fiscal responsibility in Nigeria’s democratic history,” alleging that the structure of the budget creates room for opaque and unaccountable spending.

The former Vice President said revelations showing that 84 per cent of the entire 2026 budget is concentrated in just 10 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), with ₦12.8 trillion lodged under the Service-Wide Vote in the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, raise fundamental questions about accountability and public finance management.

According to him, the Service-Wide Vote has grown from ₦638 billion in the 2025 budget to ₦12.8 trillion in the 2026 Appropriation Act—an increase of approximately 1,918 per cent within a single fiscal year.

He argued that such a dramatic increase cannot be justified without a detailed explanation of the specific projects, agencies, beneficiaries, and legal framework governing the expenditure.

“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.

Warns Against Opaque Spending

Atiku maintained that transparency is the cornerstone of democratic governance, adding that Nigerians have a constitutional right to know how trillions of naira appropriated in their name will be spent.

He warned that continued silence by the Federal Government would inevitably fuel public suspicion regarding the intended use of the funds.

“Should the Tinubu administration fail to come clean on this unprecedented ₦12.8 trillion Service-Wide Vote, Nigerians would be justified in suspecting that these enormous sums are being stashed away to bankroll the APC’s political machinery and President Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027. A government with nothing to hide does not conceal trillions behind opaque budgetary headings,” he stated.

The former Vice President also questioned what he described as glaring inconsistencies in the personnel allocations contained in the budget.

He noted that while the Federal Ministry of Finance, the country’s principal treasury institution, received ₦54.8 billion for personnel costs, the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning carries an estimated ₦2.19 trillion personnel provision under the Service-Wide Vote.

Describing the allocation as incomprehensible, Atiku demanded that the Federal Government publish the payroll and identities of those captured under the provision.

“Who exactly are the workers earning ₦2.19 trillion? Where are they? What offices do they occupy? What agencies do they belong to? This is not budgeting; it is budgetary absurdity. Nigerians deserve to see the payroll,” he said.

He further argued that the amount hidden under the Service-Wide Vote exceeds the combined allocations to strategic sectors such as education, defence, and agriculture, despite those sectors being central to national security, economic growth, and human capital development.

“The 2026 Appropriation Act is fast becoming a document that reeks of fiscal manipulation. .

“At a time when Nigerians are being asked to endure hardship, the government cannot simultaneously hide trillions behind budgetary euphemisms and expect public trust. Every unexplained trillion is a trillion diverted from classrooms, hospitals, security, food production, and economic growth,” he added.

Calls for Investigation

Atiku urged the National Assembly to rise above partisan politics and immediately commence a comprehensive, line-by-line investigation into every allocation captured under the Service-Wide Vote, particularly the ₦2.19 trillion personnel provision.

He said lawmakers must insist on full disclosure of the beneficiaries, legal basis, and spending framework for every appropriation under the heading, stressing that robust parliamentary oversight remains essential to safeguarding public resources.

“A government that cannot explain where trillions of naira are going has forfeited the moral authority to demand sacrifice from its citizens.

“It is time to open the books, expose the truth, and restore integrity to Nigeria’s budgeting process. The Nigerian people deserve nothing less,” he added.

As of the time of filing this report, the Presidency and the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning had not responded to Atiku’s allegations.