Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has said that former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s latest public outburst against him is yet another failed attempt to rewrite history.
Atiku, who is also the African Democratic Congress (ADC) 2027 presidential candidate, said if the former President’s anger against him was over his role in scuttling his alleged third term agenda, then he has no apology for standing in defence of democracy and the country.
Atiku served as Vice President during the administration of Obasanjo, which lasted from 1999 to 2007. However both men became estranged before the expiration of their tenure. Since then the former Vice President and his erstwhile boss has not resolved their differences.
In a latest interview, the former President stated that choosing Atiku as his vice president was a mistake.
The former Vice President, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, on Saturday, said the genesis of Chief Obasanjo’s hostility towards him is well known to Nigerians.
According to him, “I am proud that I stood against the third-term agenda. I am proud that I stood by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I have no apology whatsoever for frustrating every attempt to subvert our democracy for personal ambition.”
“If Chief Obasanjo’s bitterness stems from my refusal to support an unconstitutional third term, then I wear that resentment as a badge of honour. No individual, regardless of his status or accomplishments, is bigger than the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Constitution is supreme, and I chose Nigeria over personal loyalty.”
He stated that the struggle against the third-term agenda was never about two individuals but about preserving Nigeria’s constitutional democracy for future generations, adding that “the Nigerian people won that battle. Democracy won that battle. History has already delivered its verdict.”
Atiku explained it was particularly instructive that barely twenty-four hours before Chief Obasanjo’s latest interview, the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, publicly paid glowing tribute to the economic management team he led, describing it as “the best Nigeria has ever had.”
“Whether or not the timing is merely coincidental is for Nigerians to judge. What is beyond dispute, however, is that while distinguished Nigerians who served at the highest levels continue to acknowledge my contributions to one of Nigeria’s most successful periods of economic management, Chief Obasanjo appears determined to diminish them.”
“Chief Obasanjo may choose not to appreciate my role in building one of Nigeria’s most prosperous economic eras, but history has been far kinder. The record speaks for itself, and so do the testimonies of those who worked closely with that administration,” he stated.
The former Vice President added that
“History records that while Chief Obasanjo was in prison, I stood firmly by him. I supported his family, worked tirelessly with other patriots for his release and never wavered in my belief that he deserved his freedom.”
“When he eventually regained his freedom, he had little to his name. I received him, clothed him, ensured he was properly cared for and extended every support necessary to help him regain his footing. Beyond that, I mobilised political structures, built alliances and made enormous personal and political sacrifices that culminated in his emergence as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
“Do I regret helping Chief Obasanjo? Absolutely not. When God gives you the opportunity to lift another human being, you do so without expecting repayment. Acts of kindness are matters of conscience, not commercial transactions.”
Furthermore, Atiku stated that it is disappointing that at a time when Nigeria is battling economic hardship, mass unemployment, insecurity and widespread despair, a former President would devote so much energy to recycling old grudges instead of contributing solutions to the country’s challenges.
According to him, “The 2027 election should be about rebuilding Nigeria, restoring security, reviving the economy and giving hope to the next generation—not reopening old political wounds.”
