Atiku’s N50 Million Allegations: IPAC Chairman Calls for Apology or Disclosure of Names
Yusuf Dantalle, the National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), has demanded that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar either apologize to opposition leaders or provide evidence to back his claims that some are receiving N50 million from the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
Atiku had recently alleged that the Tinubu government was paying certain opposition leaders N50 million to destabilize the opposition parties. This claim, made in a public statement, has sparked significant controversy. Speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, Dantalle cautioned Atiku about the serious implications of such claims, urging him to either name the individuals involved or publicly retract his statement.
“You need to be careful about what you say to avoid escalating tensions unnecessarily,” Dantalle stated. He added, “Yes, you may have your information, but that’s not enough to claim that all opposition members are collecting N50 million. As far as I know, my party, the Allied People’s Movement, and the Inter-Party Advisory Council, which I manage, have not seen any evidence of this happening.”
Dantalle continued to express his frustration, saying that no national chairman or leader of any opposition party has reported receiving such money. He emphasized that making blanket accusations without evidence only sows suspicion and division. “If you’re going to make such a serious allegation, you should either apologize publicly or identify those responsible for accepting money,” he said.
The IPAC chairman further stated that he had personally spoken to leaders from several other opposition parties, including the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Young Progressives Party (YPP), People’s Redemption Party (PRP), and others, all of whom denied any involvement in receiving bribes. He described the situation as embarrassing, particularly as some opposition figures began to feel that he might be implicated in the matter.
“I’ve been in contact with all these leaders, and they are all angry. It’s reached the point where I felt like I was part of this mess,” he explained. “It is only fair that Atiku either mentions the specific leaders involved or offers an apology to those wrongly implicated.”
Dantalle also addressed the potential of political manipulation, suggesting that while anything is possible in politics, the allegation could have been a misunderstanding, perhaps based on individuals attempting to leverage Atiku’s name for their own benefit. He stressed that such actions could needlessly heighten political tensions, something that a leader like Atiku should avoid.
The call for transparency was echoed by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), who also demanded that Atiku provide proof for his claims about the alleged bribery scheme.
Dantalle concluded by urging Atiku to either come forward with concrete evidence or retract his statements to prevent further harm to the unity of the opposition parties.
