Group rejects alleged N200m bribe to stage protest against Tinubu, Matawalle

A northern advocacy group, the Northern Socio-Political Rights Network (NSPRN), has claimed it rejected a N200 million bribe allegedly offered by political proxies to orchestrate a protest against President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle.

In a statement issued on Saturday in Kaduna, the group’s president, Mohammed Farouk Lawal, said the bribe was offered earlier in the week by individuals claiming to represent powerful figures in Zamfara State. According to him, the plan was to publicly accuse President Tinubu of shielding Matawalle from corruption investigations in a bid to stir outrage in the North.

“We were approached by individuals claiming to represent high-ranking officials in Zamfara,” Lawal said. “They offered us N200 million to organise a large protest in Abuja, targeting President Tinubu and Matawalle. The goal was to create the impression that the North had turned against the president due to his alleged protection of corrupt ministers.”

Lawal said his group immediately rejected the offer, describing it as a desperate attempt to manipulate public opinion. He explained that the plot was part of a broader campaign to weaken Tinubu’s political base in the North-West and discredit his loyalists ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“They wanted us to read pre-written scripts at press conferences, lead a protest at the EFCC headquarters, and produce viral videos demanding Matawalle’s arrest,” Lawal revealed. “But our group is not for sale. We have a clean record and a strong grassroots presence. They thought that could be exploited to amplify their lies.”

The group insisted that recent protests targeting the Minister of State for Defence were sponsored and not a reflection of genuine public sentiment.

“This is an internal war against key appointees of the president,” Lawal said. “We have credible information that these attacks are part of a long-term strategy to sow disaffection and destabilise the administration before 2027.”

NSPRN called on security agencies to investigate the source of the alleged funds being used to sponsor political protests in the capital. The group warned that if left unchecked, such actions could undermine national unity and security.