Dr. Salihu Lukman, a former National Vice Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has revealed the financial expenditures of key figures in the 2023 general election, including President Bola Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.
According to Lukman, Tinubu invested approximately N100 billion in securing the presidency, while Akpabio and Abbas each spent N50 billion during the recent elections. This information was disclosed in an article titled ‘Resolving APC’s Progressive Retrogression.’
Lukman emphasized that the substantial cost associated with winning elections has the potential to weaken the connection between elected leaders and the party. He highlighted the influential role of money politics in the rise to power of Tinubu and other public office holders.
According to Lukman: “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.”
