In a surprising revelation, Dr. Salihu Lukman, former National Vice Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has laid bare the monumental spending of President Bola Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas during the 2023 general election in Nigeria.
Lukman disclosed in an article titled ‘Resolving APC’s Progressive Retrogression’ that Tinubu splurged an estimated N100 billion in his bid to secure the presidency, while Akpabio and Abbas each expended N50 billion during the election campaign.
The exorbitant cost of winning elections, according to Lukman, has the potential to erode the bond between elected leaders and the party, raising concerns about the dominance of money politics in Nigeria’s political landscape. Lukman emphasized that financial influence played a pivotal role in the emergence of Tinubu and other public office holders.
Lukman stated, “It is possible that President Asiwaju Tinubu may have incurred not less than Fifty Billion Naira (N50 billion) to win the APC Presidential primary and emerge as the party’s presidential candidate. Certainly, inclusive of the cost of winning the presidential primary, winning the 2023 presidential elections may have cost President Asiwaju Tinubu upward of One Hundred Billion Naira (N100 Billion). By every standard, this is very outrageous and alarming. Cascading it down to Governors, it would have cost each of the APC governorship candidates for 2023 elections not less than Ten Billion (N10 Billion) to win the elections. It may have cost both Sen. Godswill Akpabio and Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen nothing less than Fifty Billion Naira (N50 Billion) each to win the contest for Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives.”
Lukman’s revelations have raised pertinent questions about the financial dynamics of Nigerian politics, shedding light on the exorbitant costs of seeking public office and the implications for democratic governance.
