Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate for the 2027 election, Atiku Abubakar, has accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo of attempting to influence the next presidential race by reviving old allegations against him to favour a preferred candidate.
Atiku, through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, described Obasanjo’s recent allegation that he bribed former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Umar Na’Abba, to facilitate his impeachment while they were in office, as a politically motivated attempt to rewrite history.
In the statement released on Friday, Atiku said the allegation was unfair because the late Na’Abba, who allegedly played a central role in the claim, was no longer alive to respond.
He argued that the timing of the renewed accusation, coming as political activities ahead of the 2027 general election gather momentum, suggested a deliberate effort to damage his reputation and give political advantage to Obasanjo’s preferred presidential aspirant.
“Coming at a time when the political landscape ahead of the 2027 general election is taking shape, the obvious objective is to besmirch my person and reputation and confer an undeserved political advantage on the former President’s kinsman,” Atiku said.
“Nigerians, however, know better. They are too discerning to be distracted by stale allegations resurrected for political convenience.”
The former Vice President also revisited his long-standing disagreement with Obasanjo, insisting that the former President’s resentment stemmed from his opposition to the controversial third term agenda during the latter’s administration.
“My offence was that I stood firmly against the unconstitutional third-term agenda. As a democrat, I chose the path of constitutionalism and the rule of law. Rather than surrender democratic principles on the altar of personal ambition, I defended the Constitution and successfully asserted my rights through the courts in a series of landmark legal victories against a sitting President,” he stated.
“Those battles are now part of Nigeria’s democratic history. It is evident that the bitterness arising from that defining period has failed to leave former President Obasanjo.”
While acknowledging Obasanjo’s right to support any presidential hopeful, Atiku urged the former President to make his political preference known openly instead of resorting to what he described as allegations that could no longer be independently verified.
“If former President Obasanjo has chosen to take a political position ahead of 2027, he should simply declare it and allow Nigerians to judge it on its merits, rather than attempting to influence public opinion through allegations that can no longer be tested because the principal witness is no longer alive,” he said.
The ADC standard bearer maintained that his campaign would remain focused on addressing the country’s economic and governance challenges rather than engaging in prolonged exchanges over past political disagreements.
“The task before leaders today is not to rewrite history but to rescue the future. Nigerians are more interested in knowing why food prices continue to soar, why public debt continues to rise despite increased revenues, and why scandal after scandal continues to trail the current administration than in revisiting political disagreements from over two decades ago,” Atiku added.
He concluded by reaffirming his commitment to offering what he described as credible leadership ahead of the 2027 election.
“Our focus remains unwavering, offering credible alternatives, defending democracy, demanding accountability and working with all patriotic Nigerians to restore competent, transparent and people-centred leadership to our country. Nigerians deserve solutions to today’s problems, not recycled political tales from yesterday,” he said.
