A former presidential adviser and ex-member of the House of Representatives, Usman Bugaje, has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress of using financial inducements to orchestrate the defection of key figures from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party.

Bugaje made the statement during a televised interview on Arise TV on Thursday.

He expressed concern over what he described as the monetisation of politics and its implications for Nigeria?s democracy.

?For what I know?and I don?t claim to know everything?the APC is basically using money to buy off PDP,? he said.

He further noted that in some cases, individuals facing investigations might also be pressured through threats.

?Of course, if there are people with records in the EFCC, they might threaten them. They might do these kinds of things, and this has been the practice right from the time of President Obasanjo,? he added.

Bugaje stressed that the deeper issue lies in how money has become a central factor in political allegiance, warning that such trends could signal the demise of democracy.

?For as long as money is going to be the determining factor, then that?s the end of democracy and that?s the end of politics. We would be heading towards something completely different, maybe on the path of Peru and Fujimori,? he said.

Reacting to recent mass defections in Delta State, the PDP?s acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, had said the party was not expecting the wave of departures but insisted that the next election would be a contest between Nigerians and the APC.

Bugaje, however, described the PDP?s response as weak. He argued that the PDP had already lost its ability to function as an opposition party, citing internal failures and a lack of resolve.

?There has not been opposition right from the time the Minister Wike did what he did. PDP has lost that opportunity to become an opposition party,? he stated.

He cited poor conduct by PDP members in national matters such as emergency rule debates and budget sessions, claiming that the party had failed to hold government to account.

Bugaje also pointed to structural flaws within Nigeria?s political parties, recalling his own experience during the merger that formed the APC. He said efforts to introduce merit-based criteria for party leadership were thwarted.

?We should develop a criteria for people who are going to hold responsibilities of the party. They all opposed it, except a few of us,? Bugaje said, adding that personal political interests had overshadowed institutional development.

He warned that the dominance of transactional relationships in party politics, where loyalty is exchanged for money or influence, has eroded the values of political engagement.

?People who don?t have the character to hold a party, people who don?t have sufficient education to understand the implication of some of the things they do?these are the people now in charge,? he said.

Bugaje concluded by affirming his long-standing opposition to these practices.

?I fought this as much as I could. I pulled back when I realised that, but I made my point. If you have people who are qualified, who have character, who have got the passion for the party, you can be sure one thing: that party is going to remain intact,? he said. (The PUNCH)

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