New details have come to light regarding the contentious $5,000 payments made to Nigerian lawmakers amid push for a state of emergency in Rivers State as President Bola Tinubu seeks to address the escalating political crisis in the region.
To dispel growing speculation, Mukhtar Aliyu Betara, the Chairman of the House Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has denied allegations that the payments were bribes intended to secure support for the state of emergency.
Speaking to investigative journalist Jaafar Jaafar, Betara explained that the $5,000 distributed to lawmakers was simply a “Sallah Gesture” and not an inducement tied to the emergency rule.
Jaafar, sharing the details of his conversation with Betara on 𝕏 (formerly Twitter), wrote, “The chairman of the House Committee on FCT, Mukhtar Aliyu Betara, has clarified to me that he only shared $5,000 to each member of his committee as a ‘Sallah Gesture’ not an inducement to support emergency rule in Rivers State. According to him, he maintains the tradition – like Santa Claus – every year. As we say in Hausa, not thigh but hind leg.”
Betara’s statement aimed to clarify the intention behind the payments, which had sparked widespread speculation.
He described the payment as part of a long-standing tradition he follows, similar to holiday gifts, and stressed that it had no connection to the political situation in Rivers State.
Earlier, reports had suggested that significant sums were handed out at Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s guest house in Maitama, Abuja, with the aim of swaying lawmakers to support the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
However, Betara’s denial has sought to put the allegations to rest, with some lawmakers in the National Assembly also rejecting the notion that the payments were linked to the controversial emergency rule.