The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of bribing NDC candidates to defect to the ruling occasion forward of the 2027 basic election.
The NDC spokesperson, Osa Director, disclosed this in a press release on Tuesday.
Mr Director alleged that the APC had been scheming to lure NDC candidates with inducements, “obviously for pecuniary reasons.”
“The NDC is fully aware of the desperate and malicious tactics of the APC, which has resorted to offering money, political appointments, and other material incentives to induce some money-minded candidates of our party to jump ship and defect to its sinking fold,” he mentioned.
The spokesperson mentioned some NDC members and candidates “who have fallen for this bait” clearly lack the values, virtues, and ideological dedication related to the opposition occasion.
“They were never truly of us. To them, we say good riddance to bad rubbish, and we wish them luck in their political misadventures,” he mentioned, with out mentioning names.
‘We’ll replace them’
Mr Director vowed that the NDC will replace those that had left the opposition occasion for an additional occasion.
“In line with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026, the party will immediately conduct fresh congresses to elect credible, competent, and trustworthy candidates to replace the defectors in the affected constituencies,” he mentioned.
He requested the NDC supporters and members, in addition to all Nigerians, not to be perturbed by the antics of the ruling APC in “bribing a few of our members.”
“These are the last kicks of a dying horse that has seen the handwriting on the wall of its imminent defeat,” he mentioned.
The NDC spokesperson added: “The NDC remains resolutely committed to its historic mission of rescuing our country from the vice grip of the buccaneers in power and giving Nigerians the good governance, security, and prosperity they so richly desire.”
APC silent
When contacted on Tuesday for feedback on the allegation, APC spokesperson Felix Morka requested a PREMIUM TIMES reporter to ahead his questions through WhatsApp as a result of he doesn’t allow telephone interviews.
But Mr Morka was but to reply to the questions forwarded to him through WhatsApp as of the time of submitting this report.
Background
The newest accusation comes shortly after the NDC governorship candidate in Bauchi State, Ibrahim Kashim, resigned from the occasion.
Additionally, speculations have been rife on Tuesday that Mr Kashim was plotting to change to the APC.
Apart from Mr Kashim, Rufa’i Hanga, the Senator for the Kano Central District, had resigned from the NDC in August.
Mr Hanga, the one NDC senator in Kano State, defected to the APC in September.
Kano is the house state of the NDC’s vice-presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
Similarly, six House of Representatives candidates and three State House of Assembly candidates from the NDC and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) reportedly left their events and defected to the APC in late September.
The candidates reportedly got here from Taraba, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano and Plateau states, however their names weren’t made public.
They have been mentioned to have been led into the ruling APC by Aslam Aliyu, who introduced them to the occasion’s management in Abuja.
However, the ADC later disowned the defectors, saying the politicians who switched to the APC have been by no means its members.
Discover extra from Premium Times Nigeria
Subscribe to get the newest posts despatched to your electronic mail.
