ABUJA, Nigeria – Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has raised serious allegations against members of Nigeria’s National Assembly, claiming that they were bribed to support the state of emergency imposed by President Bola Tinubu in Rivers State.
Obasanjo, in a video going viral, claimed that federal lawmakers were paid $200,000 each to ratify the emergency rule.
Speaking in a conversation with outspoken House of Representatives member Ikenga Ugochinyere, who denied the claims, Obasanjo stood firm, insisting he had direct knowledge of the alleged payments.
“You can say anything. I heard it from the horse’s mouth. You can deny it, that is alright, but I heard it from those who got it and told me that they got it. If you didn’t get it, then maybe your case is different,” Obasanjo stated, asserting that multiple lawmakers had confided in him about receiving the bribe.
Ugochinyere, who was present during the conversation, denied the allegations, stating, “Nobody gave anyone $200,000. That is just what I want to correct.”
However, Obasanjo’s assertion follows similar denials from other members, including Mukhtar Betara, Chairman of the House Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), who had previously dismissed claims of bribe payments.
Betara, as reported by investigative journalist Jaafar Jaafar on X, clarified that $5,000 distributed to committee members was a “Sallah gesture,” not a bribe.
This controversy comes amid growing scrutiny over the state of emergency imposed on Rivers State, which has sparked debates on the legitimacy of the declaration and the role of lawmakers in supporting it.
In addition to his allegations about bribery, Obasanjo took the opportunity to criticise the state of democracy in Africa, speaking at a colloquium marking the 60th birthday of former Imo State Governor Emeka Ihedioha in Abuja.
The former president argued that democracy in Africa is failing because it has become a system where a small elite governs over a large, deprived population, diverging from its intended purpose of delivering services to all citizens.
Obasanjo described the current state of democracy in Africa as “a government of a small number of people by a small number of people over a large number of people,” lamenting that it has failed to meet the needs of the people.
“Democracy in Africa has failed. Why has it failed? Because in context and in content, it’s not African. It does not have any aspect of our culture, our way of life, what we stand for,” he stated.
He further criticised the corrupt practices that have come to define African democracies, highlighting the disconnect between political leaders and the people they are meant to serve.
“What sort of democracy brings you and you grab everything and then illegally, corruptly and you say go to Court when you know that even in the Court, you cannot get justice?” he questioned.
Obasanjo urged for a reimagining of democracy in Africa, calling for a system that reflects the continent’s cultural values and addresses the needs of its people.
“If democracy is failing, democracy is dying, and if we are going to make democracy not to die, we have to look at democracy in the context and in the content of Africa,” he concluded.
