A chieftain African Democratic Congress, (ADC), Dr. Ladan Salihu and the ADC have alleged that about N800 billion in FAAC allocations has been diverted towards preparations for the 2027 elections.
He reiterated the claim during an interview with ARISE NEWS on Wednesday, citing unspecified World Bank-linked reports and internal government sources, while calling for a forensic audit and greater transparency in the handling of public funds.
“These figures were not concocted; they were not manufactured. These figures were extracted from an existing international agency report—the World Bank. We have our sources in government;even as they think they have control of the structure of governance, within the system, we have people that feed us credible information,” he stressed.
“What we are saying is that the issue of this 800 billion Naira is a very serious matter. You’re talking about funds belonging to a sovereign state that is groaning under intense hardship, stressed by poverty and deprivation. We expect the government to deny it, but they should go a step further and have full disclosure on these figures,” he said.
He also called for a forensic audit and greater transparency in the handling of public funds.
“We are saying there should be a forensic audit that will tell Nigerians whether these figures are debatable,” he urged.
Responding to questions on formal filings, Dr. Salihu said the claims were a warning to Nigerians, not yet a submission. He said evidence would be compiled later and reiterated concerns over alleged opaque Federation Account deductions.
“We have put Nigerians on notice. The evidence will be collated comprehensively and we will present it. We are not just making fly-about allegations,” he maintained.
Rejecting claims that the ADC is exploiting public hardship, Dr. Salihu said the ADC has a detailed manifesto and promised that, if elected, it would run a transparent administration staffed by qualified professionals and guided by established governance standards.
“What I can assure you is that the ADC has laid down a very comprehensive and authentic manifesto. Generally, an ADC government will practice governance within the accepted norms of civilized behavior. When we talk about figures, we will come clean. When we employ people to man the commanding heights of the economy, we will bring people with pedigree,” he assured.
Defending the integrity of the ADC, he maintained that its members have no proven corruption records and are committed to national reform.
“Let’s take someone like Atiku Abubakar or Mohammed Hayatu-Deen. Atiku has had 11 to 12 cases from the lower courts to the Supreme Court. Not one competent court of jurisdiction, not one shred of evidence, has been provided against him. Those you see in the ADC today are people whose conviction and pedigree have never been put to question. We are people with a conscience who believe in a Nigeria that can work,” he maintained.
Adding, the ADC chieftain said:
“The ADC is concerned with moving away from that and ensuring transparency for all Nigerians. The ADC, you know, is bothered and concerned about how we will take 141 million Nigerians out of poverty, and the groundwork for that is being marshaled by our own economic team. The ADC is concerned about how we will offload millions of youth from unemployment into employment and to mop up, you know, the out-of-school children. But most importantly, the ADC is out on a mission to ensure that we form the government in 2027 because we have the capacity to do so,” he said.
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