Usman Bugaje.
Nigeria’s ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), is essentially using money to buy off the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former House of Representatives member, and erstwhile presidential adviser, Usman Bugaje has alleged.
He stated that it could also be that those in opposition with records in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), might be threatened to defect, but the essential reason politicians are defecting is money.
The latest major defection happened on Wednesday when the Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori, and predecessor, Ifeanyi Okowa, joined the APC along with National Assembly and State House of Assembly members, as well as Local Government chairmen from the state.
Said Bugaje to Arise News: “Well, for what I know, and I don’t claim to know everything, the APC is basically using money to buy off PDP.
“Some say a carrot and a steak. So the money is the carrot. What’s the steak? I’m not quite sure. Of course, if there are people with records in the EFCC, they may invert in them.
“They might do these kinds of things. And this has been the practice right from the time of President Obasanjo. So, this might be, but I think the essential thing is basically money.
“And for me, this is a very serious issue, and this should be the centre of our conversation in politics because for as long as money is going to be the determining factor, you know, then that’s the end of democracy, and that’s the end of politics”.
Recall that in response to the defection, the PDP, through the Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, said first of all, they were not expecting the mass defections in Delta State.
He then said that the next election would not be determined by the number of Governors in a party, but would be between the people and the APC, adding that it would be an opportunity to punish the ruling party for the pain that it inflicted on the country.
Said Bugaje while speaking further on the reaction of the PDP: “There has not been opposition right from the time the Minister Wike did what he did. I mean, basically PDP has lost that opportunity to become an opposition party.
“Look at how members behaved in the last big issue of emergency rule, in the parliament, look at what they did when it came to the budgeting to so many other things.
“So really, there is no opposition party”.
