More heat on Atiku as APC backs Obasanjo
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has come under fresh attack from the All Progressives Congress, which backed former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s assessment of the 2027 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Party.
Relying on Obasanjo’s comments about Atiku, the ruling party warned Nigerians against giving the former vice president another leadership opportunity.
The APC National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, in an interview with Sunday PUNCH, said Obasanjo was speaking from a position of knowledge about Atiku.
But Atiku declared that Obasanjo’s outburst against him would not stop him from winning the 2027 presidential election, calling on the former president to be noble in his actions.
Atiku accused Obasanjo of being driven by bitterness over the failure of the controversial third-term agenda and attempting to rewrite the country’s political history.
Obasanjo had on Friday described his decision to pick Atiku as his running mate in the 1999 presidential election as the biggest mistake of his presidency.
The former president, who spoke in Lagos during a fireside conversation with veteran entertainer and activist Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, said, “The man I picked as my running mate, my number two. If I had known him as I came to know him later, I would not have picked him.”
Friday’s remark was another outburst from Obasanjo, who has consistently attacked his former deputy since they left office in 2007.
Even while they were in office between 1999 and 2007, Obasanjo and Atiku had a frosty relationship, forcing the Waziri of Adamawa to leave the Peoples Democratic Party for the Action Congress in 2006.
Don’t take Atiku seriously, APC tells Nigerians
Commenting on Obasanjo’s remarks, Basiru described Atiku as a serial defector, adding that it was the hallmark of an “unserious politician” and reflected the characteristics painted by the former president.
Basiru said, “Obasanjo has said so many things about Atiku, and he is in a position to know who the former vice president is.
“Obasanjo’s comments are a warning to Nigerians. So, no serious Nigerian should take Atiku seriously or give him another leadership opportunity. Obasanjo has said Atiku was corrupt, disloyal and many things.
“In any event, Obasanjo is not supporting the APC; he is supporting the other people. But his statement about Atiku is from a position of knowledge because he knows him very well. So, in the interest of the country, no Nigerian should take Atiku seriously.”
Ex-president can’t affect my 2027 chances – Atiku
However, Atiku said Obasanjo’s attacks against him would not affect his chances in 2027.
Speaking with Sunday PUNCH through his media aide, Paul Ibe, Atiku said Obasanjo had exposed himself to Nigerians as a hypocrite.
He said, “How will it affect his chances? The election will be determined by Nigerians. In all these shenanigans, do you observe that Atiku has not, as a person, responded directly to Obasanjo? He will not.
“Obasanjo is trying to muddy the waters, and when he finishes all these vindictive politics, Nigerians are the ones who will make decisions about Atiku, not Obasanjo. Interestingly, Nigerians have come to see who the former president is; very hypocritical.
“All he has said will not affect Atiku’s chances in 2027. Why would it? He is a former president, but people know him for who he is, and he has only one vote.”
Asked if the outburst was intended to favour any presidential candidate, Ibe said Obasanjo was entitled to support anybody but advised the former president to be noble in his actions.
“He can do as much as he possibly can, and Nigerians have come to see exactly what this is all about. Whatever it is, he is not doing a noble thing.
“A man worked with you and did a fantastic job. You might have disagreed in principle. But that is not a reason for you, 20 years later, to continue talking about this man every day,” he added.
Despite the outburst, Ibe said Atiku had never regretted working with Obasanjo, asking the former president to rise above board.
“Maybe Atiku didn’t even know him well, but did he regret working with him? No! At what point did Obasanjo realise that Atiku was a bad person? Was it after they left government? Was it because of the failed third-term agenda? He should stop all this nonsense.
“He (Obasanjo) will try as much as possible, but minds are made up. Nigerians have come to the realisation that they cannot continue on this path with President Bola Tinubu, and they are the determinants of the election,” Ibe stated.
Atiku had also, in an earlier statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said Obasanjo’s comments were not only disappointing but reflected “the disposition of a man who has allowed personal resentment to cloud historical truth.”
He maintained that he had no regrets about opposing the failed constitutional amendment that sought to extend Obasanjo’s tenure beyond the constitutionally permitted two terms, stating that defending the country’s democracy remains one of the proudest decisions of his political career.
“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 declared.
Atiku argued that the battle against the third-term agenda was not a personal dispute between him and Obasanjo but a defining moment in Nigeria’s democratic evolution.
The ADC presidential candidate also suggested that the timing of Obasanjo’s latest criticism was noteworthy, coming barely a day after the Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, publicly commended the economic management team he led during the Obasanjo administration.
According to Atiku, while distinguished Nigerians continue to acknowledge his contributions to Nigeria’s economic reforms, Obasanjo appears determined to diminish those achievements.
