Former Vice President of Nigeria and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, has fired back at former President Olusegun Obasanjo over fresh allegations that he bribed the late former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Ghali Umar Na’Abba, to commence impeachment proceedings against him.
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Atiku described the allegation as unfair, reckless and politically motivated, saying Obasanjo waited until Na’Abba’s death before raising a claim which the late lawmaker could no longer confirm or refute.
The former Vice President made his position known in a statement titled “The Grave Is Not A Witness Box,” issued on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.
Atiku said it was troubling that Obasanjo chose to invoke the name of a deceased person as the principal witness in a serious allegation involving an alleged impeachment plot.
He questioned why Obasanjo did not make the allegation while Na’Abba was alive, insisting that Nigerians had now been denied the opportunity of hearing the late Speaker’s side of the story.
According to Atiku, if the allegation was true, Obasanjo should have pursued legal or official action while he was in power, rather than raising what he called “stale allegations” more than two decades later.
He maintained that the claim was not supported by any judicial finding or official determination.
Atiku also linked the timing of Obasanjo’s allegation to emerging political alignments ahead of the 2027 general election, accusing the former President of trying to damage his reputation and confer political advantage on his preferred candidate.
He said Nigerians were discerning enough not to be distracted by allegations revived for political convenience.
The former Vice President also revisited his long-running political dispute with Obasanjo, saying the former President’s hostility towards him began after he opposed the controversial third-term agenda during their administration.
Atiku said his “offence” was that he stood firmly against what he described as an unconstitutional attempt to extend presidential tenure, choosing instead to defend constitutional democracy and the rule of law.
He said the legal battles he fought at the time had become part of Nigeria’s democratic history, adding that Obasanjo had apparently not recovered from the bitterness of that period.
Atiku said he would not be drawn into prolonged exchanges over political disagreements from more than 20 years ago, arguing that Nigerians are currently facing more serious national challenges.
He listed soaring food prices, worsening inflation, rising public debt, unemployment, insecurity, hunger and concerns over the management of public resources as issues requiring urgent attention from leaders.
He said the task before leaders was not to rewrite history but to rescue the future.
Atiku also said Obasanjo was free to support any presidential candidate of his choice ahead of the 2027 election, but urged him to openly declare his political preference instead of reviving unsubstantiated allegations against him.
Obasanjo had, on Thursday, accused Atiku of funding an impeachment plot against him with ₦5 million and working behind the scenes to stop him from securing a second term in office.
The former President alleged that the impeachment move was coordinated through the late Na’Abba when he was Speaker of the House of Representatives.
According to Obasanjo, Atiku invited Na’Abba to his office on a Friday while he was away from the Presidency and allegedly gave him ₦5 million to begin the impeachment process.
Obasanjo claimed that Atiku had already started raising campaigners for his own presidential ambition from his first day as Vice President.
He said the alleged move was reported to him by his Chief of Staff, whom he described as a professional intelligence officer.
Obasanjo further alleged that Atiku wanted to take over by “hook or by crook,” but said he treated the impeachment threat with contempt because he believed he had committed no impeachable offence.
The former President also disclosed that former President Shehu Shagari later asked him about the impeachment issue and volunteered to intervene, a request Obasanjo said he granted.
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Authored by Ben Ijeoma Adigwe Esq., ACIarb (UK), LL.M, Dip. in Artificial Intelligence, Director at the Delta State Ministry of Justice, Asaba, Nigeria.
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