Atiku Abubakar, former presidential candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), recently accused President Bola Tinubu’s government of paying opposition leaders N50 million each. He made this claim during a national conference on strengthening democracy held in Abuja, organized by several civic organizations.

Atiku revealed that he had met with leaders of the opposition, who openly told him that the Tinubu administration was giving them N50 million to undermine Nigeria’s democracy. He warned that if this continued, the country’s democratic system could collapse.

The former presidential candidate also criticized the National Assembly, calling it a “rubber stamp” for the government. He expressed concerns over the credibility of Nigeria’s election commission and suggested that the country should follow the example of Turkey, where the electoral body refused to declare a president-elect who didn’t meet the necessary vote threshold.

Atiku stressed the importance of opposition parties uniting to defend democracy. Reflecting on his decades-long struggle for democratic values, Atiku spoke of the sacrifices he had made, including an attempt on his life, the loss of his businesses, and being forced into exile. He urged Nigerians to act quickly to protect the nation’s democracy from collapse.