Atiku Abubakar, a former presidential candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has charged that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is undermining Nigeria’s democratic process by giving opposition politicians N50 million per.
Atiku made this revelation on Monday during a nationwide summit on bolstering democracy that was hosted in Abuja by a number of civic associations.
However, he issued a warning that if immediate action was not taken, Nigeria’s democracy might implode.
According to Atiku: “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?”
Atiku bemoaned the decline of democratic principles, casting doubt on the legitimacy of Nigeria’s electoral arbiter and denouncing the present National Assembly as a “rubber stamp” for the administration.
He pointed to Turkey as an example of integrity Nigeria should follow, where the electoral authority declined to declare a president-elect who did not receive the necessary number of votes.
He reflected on his decades-long fight for democracy, calling for opposition parties to come together and mentioning personal sacrifices such as being exiled, having his enterprises seized, and having his life attempted.
“If we don’t unite and take action, we may end up with no democracy at all. God forbid,” Atiku said.