Atiku denies Obasanjo’s N5m bribery claim, links accusation to 2027 presidential race

Atiku denies Obasanjo’s N5m bribery claim, links accusation to 2027 presidential race

Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has rejected allegations by former President Olusegun Obasanjo that he bribed the late Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Umar Na’Abba, with N5 million to initiate impeachment proceedings against him, describing the claims as politically motivated and aimed at rewriting history ahead of the 2027 general election.

Atiku made the remarks in a statement titled “The Grave Is Not A Witness Box,” issued on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, in response to allegations made by Obasanjo during the public presentation of his newly released memoir.

The former Vice President expressed concern that Obasanjo chose to raise the allegation only after the death of Na’Abba, arguing that the late lawmaker was no longer alive to either confirm or deny the claims.

According to Atiku, invoking a deceased person as the principal witness in such a serious allegation denies Nigerians the opportunity to hear the full account of events.

“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,” Atiku said.

He questioned why the allegation was never made while Na’Abba was alive.

“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? By invoking a deceased man as the principal witness to such a grave allegation, former President Obasanjo has denied Nigerians the opportunity of hearing the other side of the story.”

The ADC presidential candidate maintained that if such a bribery incident had truly occurred during the Obasanjo administration, appropriate legal and institutional measures would have followed.

He argued that no criminal investigation, prosecution, judicial pronouncement or official report had ever established that he bribed Na’Abba or orchestrated an impeachment plot against the former President.

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Atiku further alleged that the timing of the accusation, coming as political alignments ahead of the 2027 presidential election gather momentum, suggested an attempt to influence public opinion and weaken his political standing.

“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. Nigerians, however, know better. They are too discerning to be distracted by stale allegations resurrected for political convenience.”

The former Vice President also revisited the political disagreements that marked his relationship with Obasanjo while they served in office, insisting that their fallout stemmed largely from his opposition to the former President’s controversial third-term agenda.

According to Atiku, he chose to defend constitutional democracy and the rule of law instead of supporting any move to extend presidential tenure beyond constitutional limits.

“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 added that those legal battles had become an important chapter in Nigeria’s democratic history and suggested that lingering political differences continued to shape Obasanjo’s perception of him.

Atiku said he would not allow disputes from more than two decades ago to distract attention from the pressing challenges facing Nigerians, including rising inflation, food insecurity, public debt, unemployment and insecurity.

“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.”

He also stated that Obasanjo was entitled to support any candidate in the 2027 presidential election, but urged the former President to openly declare his preferred aspirant rather than make allegations he described as unfounded.

“If former President Obasanjo has chosen to take a political position ahead of 2027, he should simply declare it and allow Nigerians to make their judgment based on the issues, records and vision presented by those seeking to lead the country.”

The response followed comments made by Obasanjo during the unveiling of his memoir, in which the former President alleged that Atiku secretly backed an impeachment plot against him during his first term in office.

Obasanjo claimed that Atiku invited the late Speaker, Ghali Umar Na’Abba, to his office while he was away from Abuja and allegedly handed him N5 million to commence impeachment proceedings. According to the former President, the alleged meeting was later reported to him by his then Chief of Staff, whom he described as a professional intelligence officer.

The renewed exchange has brought back one of the most enduring political rivalries in Nigeria, with both leaders once serving on the same presidential ticket before their relationship deteriorated during Obasanjo’s second term in office.

As political activities ahead of the 2027 general election continue to gather pace, the latest war of words between the two prominent politicians is expected to fuel fresh debate over Nigeria’s political history, accountability and leadership.

Atiku denies Obasanjo’s N5m bribery claim, links accusation to 2027 presidential race