Tinubu Presidency Accused of Using Billions to Woo Opposition Governors, Lawmakers to APC
President Bola Tinubu’s administration has been accused of using huge financial inducements to lure opposition leaders.
A report claims governors and lawmakers receive billions to defect to the ruling APC.
The administration of President Bola Tinubu has been accused of running a large-scale financial inducement scheme allegedly designed to attract opposition governors and lawmakers to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to a SaharaReporters investigation published on Friday, top sources within the Presidency claimed that the recent wave of defections to the APC was being fueled by massive financial offers coordinated directly from the Presidential Villa and managed by senior officials.
The sources alleged that each state governor who agrees to defect to the APC receives about N250 billion in total. The payment, according to them, is made in two stages N100 billion as an initial “grant” once the governor shows commitment, and N150 billion after the formal defection ceremony.
“Governors get N250 billion, senators receive N1 billion, and members of the House of Representatives are offered N500 million each,” one of the insiders reportedly said.
In the past few weeks, several governors including Peter Mbah of Enugu, Douye Diri of Bayelsa, and Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta have left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join the APC.
Governor Mbah, who defected in October, said his decision was aimed at enhancing development in Enugu and aligning with the APC’s “vision for progress.” He expressed gratitude to the PDP for its past support but noted that leadership sometimes demands tough decisions for the greater good.
Similarly, Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri officially joined the APC in early November, describing his move as being “in the best interest of the state.” His defection was celebrated in Yenagoa, with several prominent political figures and governors in attendance.
With Diri’s move, the APC now controls 25 states, making him the fourth PDP governor to defect this year after those of Delta, Enugu, and Akwa Ibom.
