Atiku Abubakar has called on the National Assembly to launch a comprehensive investigation into the ₦12.8 trillion Service-Wide Vote in the 2026 budget, describing the nearly 1,918 per cent jump from 2025 as evidence of deliberate opacity in government spending.
Former Vice President and ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has called on the National Assembly to rise above partisan considerations and commence a comprehensive, line-by-line investigation into every allocation under the Service-Wide Vote, particularly the ₦2.19 trillion personnel provision.
He said parliament must insist on full disclosure of the beneficiaries, legal basis, and spending framework for every kobo appropriated under the heading.
“A government that cannot explain where trillions of naira are going has forfeited the moral authority to demand sacrifice from its citizens,” he said, speaking through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.
Atiku described the 2026 federal budget as the most brazen assault on fiscal transparency in Nigeria’s democratic history, noting that 84 per cent of the entire budget is concentrated in just 10 Ministries, Departments and Agencies, with ₦12.8 trillion warehoused under the Service-Wide Vote in the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.
He noted the Service-Wide Vote stood at ₦638 billion in 2025 but ballooned to ₦12.8 trillion in 2026 — an increase of approximately 1,918 per cent in one year.
“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,” he said, warning that failure to explain the figures would justify suspicions that the funds are meant to bankroll the APC’s political machinery and Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
Atiku further questioned how the Ministry of Finance has a personnel allocation of only ₦54.8 billion, while the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning carries a ₦2.19 trillion personnel provision under the Service-Wide Vote.
“Who exactly are the workers earning ₦2.19 trillion? Where are they? What offices do they occupy? Nigerians deserve to see the payroll,” he said.
He added that combined allocations to education, defence and agriculture fall below the amount hidden under the Service-Wide Vote, describing the situation as “budgetary absurdity” requiring urgent scrutiny.
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