Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo of quietly backing a preferred candidate ahead of the 2027 presidential election, urging him to publicly declare his choice instead of making allegations that could influence public opinion.
Atiku, who is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), made the remarks in response to Obasanjo’s recent claim that he gave the late former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na’Abba, ₦5 million to initiate impeachment proceedings against him during their time in office.
Reacting to the allegation, Atiku described it as a recycled accusation from 2003, alleging that it was being revived at a politically sensitive period to damage his reputation and benefit the former president’s preferred candidate.
He maintained that Nigerians are capable of seeing through what he described as politically motivated claims and would not be distracted by allegations resurfacing more than two decades later.
The former vice president argued that if Obasanjo had already decided who to support in the 2027 race, he should openly declare that choice rather than relying on accusations that cannot be verified, especially since Ghali Na’Abba, who would have been a key witness, is no longer alive.
Although Atiku did not directly mention President Bola Tinubu, his reference to Obasanjo’s “kinsman” has been widely interpreted as an indirect reference to the president.
The political relationship between Obasanjo and Tinubu has experienced several periods of tension over the years. Their disagreements date back to 2003 when the Federal Government withheld local government allocations to Lagos State following the creation of additional local council development areas under Tinubu’s administration as governor.
Their differences became more pronounced during the failed third-term bid associated with Obasanjo’s presidency in 2007, which Tinubu strongly opposed. Ahead of the 2023 presidential election, Obasanjo endorsed Labour Party candidate Peter Obi, further widening the political divide. Since Tinubu assumed office, Obasanjo has also criticized the administration over economic challenges, including rising inflation and poverty.
Addressing the impeachment allegation, Atiku questioned why the accusation only surfaced after Na’Abba’s death, arguing that if the claim were true, it should have been raised while the former Speaker was alive and able to respond.
He also challenged Obasanjo to present evidence to support the allegation, insisting that as president at the time, Obasanjo had access to the country’s security and investigative institutions and could have pursued any credible evidence if any wrongdoing had occurred.
