By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu
A new report has alleged that the Bola Tinubu administration offered huge financial incentives to governors and lawmakers from opposition parties to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to sources citing unnamed sources within the Presidency, each governor who recently joined the APC allegedly received a total package of ₦250 billion, while senators and members of the House of Representatives were allegedly offered ₦1 billion and ₦500 million, respectively.
The report claimed that the funds were released in two tranpiec with ₦100 billion paid upfront upon commitment and the balance of ₦150 billion released after formal defection ceremonies.
The allegations come amid a wave of high-profile defections from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other opposition parties to the ruling APC in recent weeks.
Among the latest defectors are Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu, Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa, and Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State, all of whom have cited alignment with the APC’s vision for national development as their reason for crossing over.
Governor Mbah, while announcing his decision in October, said his defection was driven by his desire to “better serve the people of Enugu” and align with the APC’s “vision for progress and growth.”
Similarly, Governor Diri said he left the PDP “in the best interest of Bayelsa,” stressing that politics should be about development and unity, not destruction.
Diri’s defection made him the 25th governor under the APC and the fourth PDP governor to join the party this year, following his counterparts from Delta, Enugu, and Akwa Ibom States.
The report, however, did not provide independent verification or official response from the Presidency or the APC leadership regarding the allegations.
As of press time, neither the Presidency nor any of the affected governors had reacted publicly to the claims of financial inducement.