Bugaje Accuses APC of Buying PDP Members

Former presidential adviser and ex-lawmaker Usman Bugaje has raised serious concerns about the state of Nigerian democracy, accusing the All Progressives Congress (APC) of using financial incentives to lure prominent figures away from the PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP).

Speaking in a recent interview on Arise TV, Bugaje condemned what he described as the increasing monetisation of politics in Nigeria.

“To the best of my knowledge, the APC is essentially buying out PDP members,” he said, suggesting that some individuals may also be coerced through the threat of prosecution. “If someone has a file with the EFCC, they might use it against them. This approach isn’t new—it dates back to the Obasanjo era,” he added.

He warned that the deep entrenchment of money in political processes threatens the very essence of democratic governance. “If money continues to dictate political allegiance, then democracy is over. What we’ll have won’t be politics as we know it—it might resemble the path Peru took under Fujimori.”

Bugaje’s comments come amid a wave of defections from the PDP, particularly in Delta State. The party’s acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, recently admitted they were unprepared for the scale of the exits but insisted the next election would pit the people against the ruling APC.

Still, Bugaje criticized the PDP’s response as feeble and argued that the party had lost its grip as a credible opposition.

“Since the time Minister Wike made his moves, the PDP has failed to live up to the expectations of an opposition party,” he said, pointing to their lackluster performance in legislative matters like debates on emergency rule and the national budget.

Reflecting on his own experience during the formation of the APC, Bugaje said efforts to instill merit-based leadership were repeatedly blocked.

“We tried to introduce criteria for leadership roles in the party, but most rejected the idea. Only a few supported it,” he recalled, blaming personal ambitions for the failure of political institutions to evolve.

He also criticised the growing influence of transactional politics, where loyalty is traded for money or power, and warned that unqualified individuals now dominate the political landscape.

“People lacking the integrity and education to understand the weight of their decisions are now the ones steering the party system,” he lamented.

Bugaje concluded by affirming his resistance to such practices: “I opposed it for as long as I could. Eventually, I stepped back—but I made my stance clear. If a party is led by people of integrity, competence, and passion, it will remain strong.”