The All Progressives Congress (APC) has strongly condemned former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s accusation that President Bola Tinubu’s administration paid N50 million in bribes to opposition parties to destabilize their leadership ahead of the 2027 elections.
The opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Labour Party (LP), and Social Democratic Party (SDP), have all rejected the allegations.
Atiku made the claim during a national conference on strengthening democracy in Nigeria, held in Abuja on Monday. The event, organized by several organizations including the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development, the Centre for Democracy and Development, and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, saw the former vice president warning that the country could lose its hard-earned democracy if the current trajectory continues.
He stated, “I want to make this public. I met with leaders of a political party in the opposition, and they openly admitted that this government gives them N50 million each.”
In response, the APC expressed disappointment with Atiku. The party’s National Publicity Director, Bala Ibrahim, criticized the former vice president for making what he called baseless allegations, urging him to provide concrete evidence to back up his claims. Felix Morka, the APC’s National Publicity Secretary, dismissed the N50 million bribery accusation as “simply bogus and laughable.” He also accused Atiku of desperation, alleging that his continued circulation of unverified claims was a sign of political frustration.
The APC also took aim at Atiku, Labour Party leader Peter Obi, and former Kaduna State Governor Malam Nasir El-Rufai for suggesting that the ruling party might be behind the divisions within opposition ranks, particularly as discussions of a potential coalition surface.
Meanwhile, the Labour Party denied the allegations, with the National Youth Leader, Prince Kennedy Ahanotu, calling the supposed bribe “an insult” to the party.
He emphasized that the Labour Party had never received any such funds from the Tinubu-led administration.
