The National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Yusuf Dantalle, has called on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to reveal the names of opposition leaders who are allegedly receiving N50 million from President Bola Tinubu’s administration. Dantalle emphasized that if Atiku cannot identify these individuals, he should apologize to opposition leaders for accusing them of accepting funds from the ruling party.
Atiku had recently accused the Tinubu government of paying some opposition members and leaders N50 million in order to destabilize opposition parties. Dantalle, speaking as a guest on Friday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today, challenged Atiku to either provide evidence of the claims or issue an apology to the opposition leaders.
He warned Atiku to be cautious about making such accusations, stressing that they could unnecessarily stoke political tensions. “You have to be careful what you say so that you don’t unnecessarily hit up the polity,” Dantalle said. “Yes, you have your information as Atiku Abubakar, but that is not enough for you to come out and say that all oppositions, or all members of the opposition family, are collecting N50 million.”
Dantalle, who is also managing the Secretariat of the umbrella body for political parties in Nigeria, expressed that he is unaware of any opposition leader or party chairman receiving such funds. “As far as I know, my party the Allied People’s Movement and today, I am managing the Secretariat of the umbrella body of all the political parties in Nigeria, there is no national chairman, no leader anywhere collecting any money that I know,” he stated.
The IPAC chairman further explained that if Atiku were to name specific individuals who are allegedly involved in the bribery, it would be a different matter. He expressed concern over the damaging effect such accusations could have on the political atmosphere. “You have succeeded in creating mutual suspicion. So what I think Atiku Abubakar should do, with all due respect, is to either apologize publicly to opposition leaders in totality, the same way he made this allegation, or he identify and mention opposition leaders who are involved in this rubbish,” Dantalle said.
Dantalle clarified that the IPAC, representing 19 registered political parties, has no knowledge of such payments being made. “But for us in the Inter Party Advisory Council, we are not aware of what Atiku is insinuating. Sincerely,” he affirmed. He acknowledged the potential for various political activities but insisted that within the context of IPAC, no such bribery has occurred.
While Dantalle did not completely rule out the possibility of corruption within politics, he underscored that no evidence has emerged within the political groups he interacts with. “Everything and anything is possible in politics. But what I’m saying, I’m restricting this to the Inter Party Advisory Council, that’s the 19 registered political parties that I know today, there is no such sign that anybody has collected N50 million,” he stated.
The IPAC chairman revealed that he has been in regular communication with leaders of various opposition parties, including the national chairmen of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Young Progressives Party (YPP), People’s Redemption Party (PRP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), and National Rescue Movement (NRM). Dantalle shared that all these leaders were equally upset about Atiku’s claims, as they had not been involved in any such alleged transactions. “I’ve been speaking with the leaders of all the other opposition parties. I’ve spoken to the national chairman of SDP, I’ve spoken to national chairman of YPP, I’ve spoken to national chairman of PRP, national chairman of AA, national chairman of NRM and everybody seemed to be angry,” Dantalle noted.
The controversy surrounding Atiku’s remarks even led to a situation where Dantalle felt as if he himself had been implicated in the allegations, which he found embarrassing. “It came to a point when I was not talking and it seemed as if I was involved in some of these things. It is embarrassing. And sincerely, we need an apology from the former Vice President or he should come out to identify and mention the people involved,” he remarked.
Dantalle emphasized that Atiku’s comments had the potential to disrupt the political environment and cause unnecessary division. He called for transparency and accountability, urging Atiku to clarify the situation by naming those responsible for the alleged N50 million payments. “In this situation, he claimed that ‘some opposition leaders’, it is possible that some persons want to get money from Atiku and they went to him and say ‘okay, this is what this person is giving us, so you can give us something like that’,” Dantalle explained.
He suggested that it would be fair to all opposition leaders if Atiku could name those allegedly involved in the bribery. “It will be fair to all of us in the opposition family that you mention or identify the people who are involved in this, because I don’t know who is giving such money, and I don’t know who is collecting it,” he continued. Dantalle insisted that he was speaking in good faith, clarifying that he had no knowledge of any opposition figures accepting such bribes.
Dantalle concluded his remarks by highlighting the need for responsible leadership. He cautioned that such allegations could unnecessarily heighten political tensions. “I’m saying this between me and God. This is capable of hitting up the polity unnecessarily. So as an elder statesman and as a leader, you are not supposed to make this kind of utterance, because you are hitting up the polity unnecessarily,” he asserted.
He also reiterated that Atiku would be doing a service to the political community if he named the alleged perpetrators, even if he did so indirectly or through a proxy.
“He will be helping us if he identifies these persons, even if he doesn’t want to mention directly, he can use a proxy to mention the people involved, or the parties or the leaders involved in this thing,” Dantalle concluded.
The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) had also previously called on Atiku to provide evidence supporting his claims that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is bribing opposition parties with N50 million.
