The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, has accused the All Progressives Congress, APC, of offering financial inducements and political appointments to members of the opposition party to facilitate their defection to the ruling party.
The NDC described the alleged move as desperate and malicious, insisting that it would not be distracted by what it called the APC's attempts to weaken the opposition.
The party's Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday.
According to the statement, the APC had "resorted to offering money, political appointments, and other material incentives to induce some money-minded candidates of our party to jump ship and defect to its sinking fold".
Osa said the defectors lacked the values, virtues and ideological commitment associated with the NDC, adding that their actions showed they were never genuinely committed to the party.
"To them, we say good riddance to bad rubbish, and we wish them luck in their political misadventures," he said.
The NDC spokesperson further announced that the party would conduct fresh congresses to elect new candidates to replace those who had defected.
"In line with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026, the party will immediately conduct fresh congresses to elect credible, competent, and trustworthy candidates to replace the defectors in the affected constituencies," the statement added.
The party urged its members, supporters and Nigerians not to be discouraged by the alleged attempts to induce some of its members to join the ruling party.
"We wish to reassure our teeming party members, supporters, and well-meaning Nigerians not to be perturbed by the antics of the ruling party in bribing a few of our members.
"These are the last kicks of a dying horse that has seen the handwriting on the wall of its imminent defeat," the statement added.
DAILY POST reports that the NDC governorship candidate in Bauchi State, Ibrahim Kashim, has resigned from the party and is expected to join the APC soon alongside his supporters.
They were bribed by APC - NDC reacts as members defect to ruling party