A northern Islamic cleric, Sheikh Sunusi Khalil, has alleged that Nigeria’s ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), has set aside a large sum of money to mobilise support ahead of the 2027 Nigerian presidential election.
The cleric made the claim in a video that has been circulating widely on social media. In the footage, he accused the party of planning to channel huge funds to religious and traditional leaders in northern Nigeria to influence political support in the coming election cycle.
According to him, party representatives allegedly reached out to him directly as part of the effort. However, the cleric said he refused to participate in the plan and cautioned those who approached him.
“They have budgeted 500 billion Naira to mobilize Mallams and Traditional rulers so that they can campaign for them.
They invited me to join the projects but I rejected the offer with a warning to never bring something like this to me”
The video was first broadcast by Rigasa TV News and has since sparked heated debate online. Many Nigerians have reacted strongly to the allegation, especially at a time when the country continues to grapple with rising inflation, high cost of living, and economic hardship.
Some commentators have expressed concern about the implication of such claims on Nigeria’s democratic process. Others, however, have questioned the credibility of the allegation and demanded evidence to support the statement.
Checks on the proposed 2026 federal budget have not revealed any publicly listed allocation matching the ₦500 billion figure mentioned by the cleric.
The proposed budget, estimated at about ₦58.47 trillion, outlines spending across various sectors including infrastructure, security, health, and education.
As of the time of filing this report, the All Progressives Congress has not issued any official response to the allegation.
