The Federal Government has allocated N135.22 billion for legal disputes that will arise from the 2027 general election.

The provision is contained in the 2026 Appropriation Bill in the House of Representatives Order Paper for March 31, 2026,tagged “Electoral Adjudication and Post Election Provision.”

The allocation was captured under the Service-Wide Votes, a centrally managed pool of funds used by the Federal Government to finance obligations not tied to a specific ministry, department, or agency.

Service-Wide Votes are widely regarded as the government’s contingency or general-purpose fund within the budget.

It has been described as a central provision used to cover expenditures that cut across multiple agencies, including unforeseen obligations, national commitments, and liabilities that cannot be easily assigned to a single institution.

In some cases, the fund also accommodates items that require further approval or are not fully determined at the time of budget preparation.

The Youth Wing of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), demanding the restoration of the party’s 2025-recognised leadership or face nationwide protests.

The group warned that failure to comply would trigger peaceful civic action across the country, including plans to occupy INEC offices in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Its demands include the immediate reinstatement of the Senator David Mark-led leadership on INEC’s official portal, a public apology from the commission, and assurances of neutrality in line with the rule of law.

Speaking on Monday at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja, ADC National Youth Leader, Balarabe Rufa’i, accused INEC of undermining democratic institutions.

“Nigeria is under democratic siege. What should have been a steady consolidation of 27 uninterrupted years of civil rule since 1999 is now being deliberately undermined by those entrusted to protect it,” he said.

Rufa’i said that the party’s July 29, 2025, National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, which produced a new leadership, was conducted under INEC’s supervision and later recognised by the commission.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has pledged to support whoever emerges as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 general election.

Atiku gave the assurance in an interview with DW Hausa radio shared on Saturday.

Atiku said that all the aspirants would rally behind the eventual ADC flag-bearer.

“We will support and endorse whoever emerges as the flag bearer. How many are we, three or four? In the PDP, more than ten of us contested,” he said.

He also highlighted what he described as the ADC’s growing appeal among young people, noting that the party has created opportunities for youth and women to participate actively in politics.“The youths have taken over the party.

Most of those seeking elective positions, from councillor to state assembly, national assembly and House of Representatives, are young people.

We have always said our party belongs to the youth and women. Our role is to create the opportunity and hand it over to them,” he stated.

The former vice president dismissed concerns that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) could weaken the party following the de-recognition of David Mark-led faction of ADC, insisting that the party continued to gain momentum nationwide.