The All Progressives Congress (APC) has sharply criticized former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, dismissing his recent claims regarding the alleged misuse and duplication within the Service-Wide Vote (SWV) in the 2026 Appropriation Act as “baseless, misinformed, and rooted in sheer ignorance of public finance”.
The ruling party’s response follows Atiku’s call for the National Assembly to launch a forensic probe into over ₦210 billion in alleged budget duplications and off-budget spending provisions within the 2026 national budget.
“SWV is a Standard Contingency Instrument”
In a statement issued on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, the APC clarified the statutory purpose of the Service-Wide Vote, emphasizing that it remains a legitimate, globally recognized budgetary mechanism designed to cater for unforeseen national contingencies, emergency interventions, statutory overhead adjustments, and strategic national priorities.
The ruling party asserted that Atiku’s criticism ignores the procedural oversight built into public financial management:
“It is disappointing that a former Vice President who ought to understand the fundamentals of national budgeting chooses to mislead the public for political mileage… The Service-Wide Vote is not a secret slush fund or a duplicate allocation. It is a statutory contingency line item administered under strict legislative oversight and subject to the audit mechanisms of the Auditor-General for the Federation.” — APC Public Communication Unit
Key Highlights of the Dispute
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ POINTS OF CONTENTION │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ • Atiku's Allegation : Demands NASS probe into ₦210bn+ alleged │
│ duplications and fiscal recklessness in the 2026 budget allocations. │
│ │
│ • APC's Defense : SWV serves as a legal emergency buffer for │
│ pensions, security interventions, and unexpected public liabilities. │
│ │
│ • Legislative Mandate : Asserts that every disbursement under SWV undergoes│
│ proper documentation, executive approval, and legislative audit. │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
(Sources: APC National Secretariat & Opposition Statements)
Setting the Record on Budget Transparency
The APC reiterated that the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration remains committed to fiscal discipline and transparency in revenue utilization.
The party urged opposition figures to engage in constructive, fact-based critiques of national economic policies rather than circulating misleading interpretations of standard public expenditure lines to stir public discontent.
Ayodele Quadri
Correspondent
