Atiku, ADC Accuse APC Governors of Diverting N800bn FAAC Funds for Tinubu’s 2027 Campaign

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Wednesday accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its state governors of diverting public funds to finance President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election campaign. The accusation, published by ThisDay, adds Atiku’s voice to a growing chorus of opposition parties making the same allegation.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) had already gone further on Tuesday, naming a specific figure. In a statement by national publicity secretary Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC described the alleged diversion of over N800 billion from Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) funds as “shameless, cruel, and criminal.”

What the ADC said

“The report alleging that over N800 billion was raised through deductions from FAAC allocations for political purposes confirms what Nigerians have long suspected,” the ADC said. “That while the administration continues to tell the people to endure the pains of its ill-fated economic reforms, the APC has been converting public resources into a war chest for 2027 politics.”

The party said it was morally indefensible that states receiving record FAAC allocations — more than at any previous period in Nigeria’s history, by the ADC’s own account — were failing to improve living conditions for ordinary citizens while allegedly channelling those funds into Tinubu’s campaign machinery.

The N800bn figure and where it came from

The Will News had earlier published an exclusive report alleging that Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma was asked to refund over N800 billion allegedly raised from state coffers for Tinubu’s re-election bid, following a reported rift between the president and APC governors over how the funds were managed. The report remains unconfirmed by the presidency, but it appears to be the basis for both the ADC statement and Atiku’s comments.

The APC and the Tinubu administration had not issued a formal response to the allegations as of Wednesday morning. The presidency has previously denied claims of improper use of state resources for political purposes.

The political backdrop

The allegations land at a charged moment. The APC is in the middle of its governorship and state assembly primaries, and Tinubu’s re-election machinery is visibly in motion. Opposition parties, fragmenting between ADC and the newly forming NDC-Obi-Kwankwaso alliance, are searching for unified attack lines. The FAAC diversion claim — if it gains traction — is the kind of narrative that cuts through.

Sources: ThisDay, Politics Nigeria, Lagos Post, The Will News