Firdaus Obiremi
The Kaduna State Government has denied approving or releasing N2.3tn for the flag-off of the All Progressives Congress’ 2027 presidential campaign in the state, describing a document circulating on social media as fabricated and misleading.
The government said the purported letter, which allegedly indicated that Governor Uba Sani had approved the huge sum for the campaign rally, was neither authored nor authorised by the governor.
The state Commissioner for Information and Culture, Ahmed Maiyaki, stated this in a statement issued on Sunday, amid growing controversy over the alleged expenditure.
The disputed letter, dated October 18, 2026, and titled “Notification for Preparations for the Grand Rally Flag Off,” purportedly showed Sani informing Abdulazeez Yari, identified as the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, of the approval of N2.3tn for the campaign flag-off scheduled for Saturday, October 24.
However, Maiyaki dismissed the document, questioning its authenticity and pointing to what he described as inconsistencies in its contents.
He argued that the alleged expenditure was implausible, given that Kaduna State’s entire 2026 budget stood at N985.92bn, less than half of the amount purportedly approved for the political event.
“The Kaduna State Government categorically disowns this document. Governor Uba Sani neither authored nor authorised the purported letter, and no N2.3 trillion was budgeted, approved or released for the presidential campaign flag-off,” the commissioner said.
Maiyaki also identified the misspelling of the governor’s surname as “Sai” in the purported letter as one of the discrepancies that raised questions about its authenticity.
He further expressed concern over the alleged unauthorised reproduction of the governor’s signature, describing the document as an attempt to mislead the public and damage Sani’s reputation.
The commissioner alleged that the circulation of the letter was part of a coordinated misinformation campaign aimed at discrediting the administration ahead of the 2027 general election.
He maintained that the state government’s spending priorities had focused on security, infrastructure, education, healthcare, agriculture and social protection since Sani assumed office on May 29, 2023.
According to him, the administration has invested in infrastructure and agriculture, rehabilitated public institutions, settled inherited pension liabilities and expanded social protection programmes.
Maiyaki warned that the fabrication of official correspondence and the circulation of false claims involving public funds could attract legal consequences.
He urged political actors and other critics to base their allegations on verifiable evidence rather than documents whose authenticity had not been established.
The commissioner disclosed that the state government was taking steps to determine the origin of the disputed letter and had called on security and investigative agencies to investigate possible offences involving forgery or impersonation.
He also appealed to media organisations and members of the public to verify documents and scrutinise allegations concerning public expenditure before publishing or sharing them.
The controversy comes as political activities gather momentum ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general election, with allegations concerning public funds and campaign preparations likely to attract heightened public scrutiny.
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