Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 general elections, Atiku Abubakar, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s government of paying opposition leaders N50 million each to undermine Nigeria’s democratic process.
Atiku made this allegation at a national conference on strengthening democracy, organised by various civic organisations in Abuja on Monday.
The former vice president, however, cautioned that Nigeria’s democracy was at the risk of collapse if urgent action wasn’t taken.
Atiku said, “I want to say it here publicly, I met with a political party leadership in the present opposition, and they told me flatly that this government gives them N50 million each.
“If we are not careful, we are talking to some of you here, but you are recipients of the N50 million from the APC government. Do we really want to fight for democracy?”
He lamented the erosion of democratic values, criticising the current National Assembly as a “rubber stamp” for the government and raising doubts about the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral umpire.
The PDP chieftain cited an example of Turkey, where the electoral body refused to declare a president-elect who fell short of the required vote threshold, as a benchmark of integrity Nigeria should emulate.
Urging the opposition parties to unite, Atiku reflected on his decades-long struggle for democracy, noting personal sacrifices, including an attempt on his life, the seizure of his businesses, and exile.
“If we don’t unite and take action, we may end up with no democracy at all. God forbid,” Atiku said.