Atiku Fires Back at Obasanjo's Claims About Na’Abba

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has hit back at former President Olusegun Obasanjo. This comes after Obasanjo accused him of bribing the late Ghali Na’Abba, who was once the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Atiku says Obasanjo is using the memory of Na’Abba for his own political gain.

Atiku released a statement on Friday through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu. He called Obasanjo’s claims “a desperate attempt to rewrite history” and a way to sway the political scene ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The statement, titled “The grave is not a witness box,” argues that it is wrong to make such claims about Na’Abba after his death. Atiku said this prevents him from defending his name.

“Atiku stated, 'As Africans, we understand the solemn duty of speaking truthfully about the dead. It is therefore deeply troubling that former President Obasanjo has chosen this moment to allege that I gave the late Rt Hon Ghali Umar Na’Abba a bribe to impeach him.'

He continued, 'If this allegation were true, why did he never make it while Rt Hon Na’Abba was alive? Why wait until the only man who could confirm or refute the claim has departed this world?' Atiku asked.

Atiku expressed that by naming a deceased person as a witness, Obasanjo has robbed Nigerians of hearing the other side of the story. “The late Rt Hon Ghali Na’Abba cannot now defend his own integrity or respond to the allegation that he accepted a bribe,” he said. “It is unfair to his memory and contrary to our cultural values to conscript the dead into contemporary political battles when they no longer have a voice.”

Atiku also raised questions about why there was no legal action taken if these claims had any proof. He said, “If there was indeed evidence of any criminal conduct as alleged, Nigerians are entitled to ask why no action was taken at the time by a government that wielded the full powers of the Nigerian state.”

Atiku accused Obasanjo of making these statements at a time when political parties are gearing up for the 2027 elections. “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,” he said.

He added, “Nigerians, however, know better. They are too discerning to be distracted by stale allegations resurrected for political convenience.” Atiku also reflected on the long-standing disagreement between him and Obasanjo, which began when he opposed the controversial third-term agenda during Obasanjo’s presidency.

“My offence was that I stood firmly against the unconstitutional third-term agenda,” Atiku said. “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.”

Atiku noted, “It is evident that the bitterness arising from that defining period has failed to leave former President Obasanjo.” He, now the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress for the 2027 elections, said he won’t engage in long arguments about issues from over twenty years ago while the country faces serious problems.

“The task before leaders today is not to rewrite history but to rescue the future,” he explained. “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 that while Obasanjo can support any presidential candidate for 2027, it should be done openly. “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,” he said. “Rather than attempting to influence public opinion through allegations that can no longer be tested because the principal witness is no longer alive.”

Atiku’s comments followed Obasanjo’s claims that Atiku backed an impeachment plan against him during his first term and secretly worked with others to stop his re-election in 2003.