A political party leadership told me this government gives them N50m each - Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar

 

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has cautioned that Nigeria may lose its democracy if it continues on its ‘’current trajectory.''

 

Speaking at a national conference on strengthening democracy in Abuja on Monday, January 27, Atiku expressed concerns over the state of governance and political parties in the country. The event was organized by various organizations, including the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development, the Centre for Democracy and Development, and the National Peace Committee.

 

“We really are at a crossroads in this democratic experiment. We either decide we want to be democratic or we decide to abandon it,” Atiku said, emphasizing concerns about the ‘judiciary’s growing role’ in deciding political outcomes. 

 

He criticized the transfer of challenges from political parties to governance, saying, “Governance dictates to the political parties, whereas political parties should have been directing governance.”

 

Atiku also alleged that the current administration had been inducing opposition leaders with financial incentives. “I met with a political party leadership in the present opposition, and they told me flatly that this government gives them N50 million each,” he claimed, questioning the sincerity of opposition leaders in fighting for democracy.

 

He expressed doubts about the National Assembly adopting his recommendations for amending the Electoral Act, describing the assembly as a "rubber stamp for the government" but stressing the importance of individual commitment to democracy. Drawing comparisons with Turkey’s electoral system, Atiku questioned Nigeria’s electoral umpire's credibility and ability to ensure fairness.

Atiku said; 

 

“Now, governance dictates to the political parties, whereas political parties should have been directing governance on what should be done because that is their role. They interact with ordinary people, go on campaigns, and so on.

“With the current National Assembly, I don’t see them adopting most of the recommendations I made. As someone said here, we have a National Assembly that is a rubber stamp for the government. But I refuse to agree. It all depends on us.

“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.

“Where do we go from here? This means that 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? If we don’t, we all go back to our homes. But if we do, I have been in this struggle for over 30 years, an attempt was made on my life, and I escaped. I went into exile, but I never gave up. My businesses were taken over, and I am still surviving. So, you need to make up your mind. I am not doing it for myself. For me, I have lived my life. I am doing it because of you.”

 

Responding to a question on what to do with the “winning at all costs” mentality among ruling parties, Atiku said, “I think the current system has been bastardised. As El-Rufai said, there is a need for the entire opposition political parties to think of a way out of the situation. Otherwise, we may end up with no democracy at all. God forbid. Again, maybe history is about to repeat itself because that was the same threat the other opposition political parties were facing when APC was formed. We have to learn from that historical fact.”

 

He also noted the importance of party funding. “This is crucial to strengthening political parties,” he said.