- Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has strongly rejected claims by former President Olusegun Obasanjo alleging that Atiku bribed the late former Speaker Ghali Na’Abba with ₦5 million to initiate presidential impeachment proceedings.
- Atiku described Obasanjo’s statements as an attempt to rewrite political history and conscript a deceased statesman into modern political battles when he can no longer defend his integrity.
- The former Vice President linked Obasanjo’s persistent hostility to Atiku’s historic opposition to the unconstitutional third-term agenda during their administration between 1999 and 2007.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has issued a sharp rebuke to his former boss, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, accusing the former President of exploiting the memory of the late Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Ghali Umar Na’Abba, for political leverage ahead of the 2027 presidential contest.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the controversy arose after Obasanjo, responding to comments by former Ogun State Governor Olusegun Osoba regarding the political maneuvers before the 2003 general elections, alleged that Atiku provided ₦5 million to Na’Abba to orchestrate impeachment proceedings against him during his first term in office.
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In a statement released on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, titled “The Grave Is Not a Witness Box,” Atiku rejected the bribery allegation as baseless and disrespectful to the late lawmaker’s memory.
Atiku argued that invoking a deceased statesman as the primary witness to a severe charge deprives the public of hearing both sides, given that Na’Abba can no longer respond to defend his character.
The former Vice President further alleged that the timing of Obasanjo’s remarks is calculated to tarnish his reputation and confer political advantage on Obasanjo’s preferred candidates as alliances form for the 2027 general elections, where Atiku intends to run under the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Revisiting their historical fallout during their tenure from 1999 to 2007, Atiku reiterated that his principal disagreement with Obasanjo stemmed from his refusal to support the controversial third-term constitutional amendment.
Atiku urged elder statesmen to focus on pressing contemporary issues, such as inflation, economic hardship, and public debt, rather than reviving two-decade-old political feuds.
He added that while Obasanjo remains free to endorse any presidential contender for 2027, such positions should be stated directly rather than through unsubstantiated historical claims.
