Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has dismissed allegations by former President Olusegun Obasanjo that he financed an impeachment plot against him in 2003, accusing the former leader of attempting to rewrite history for political purposes ahead of the 2027 general election.
Atiku’s reaction followed Obasanjo’s statement on Thursday, titled “Reply to Your Inaccurate Posture: ‘How Obasanjo Deceived Us in 2003′”, in which the former president rejected an account by former Ogun State Governor, Chief Olusegun Osoba, on the political events surrounding the 2003 elections.
In the statement, Obasanjo alleged that Atiku, who served as his vice president, orchestrated an impeachment move against him through the then Speaker of the House of Representatives, the late Ghali Umar Na’Abba.
Obasanjo claimed that Atiku invited Na’Abba to his office while he was away and gave him ₦5 million to commence impeachment proceedings.
Responding in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the allegation as baseless and criticised Obasanjo for making claims against a deceased individual who could no longer respond.
He argued that it was unfair to accuse the late Na’Abba of accepting a bribe when he was no longer alive to defend his reputation.
“If this allegation were true, why was it never made while Rt. Hon. Ghali Na’Abba was alive? 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 statement said.
Atiku also questioned why no legal action was taken at the time if there had been evidence to support the allegations.
He maintained that the claims were unsupported by any judicial finding or official determination, adding that a government with full state powers would have prosecuted the matter if there had been credible evidence of wrongdoing.
The former vice president further alleged that the timing of the accusations was politically motivated, suggesting they were intended to tarnish his image and benefit Obasanjo’s preferred candidate ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
According to Atiku, his long-standing disagreement with Obasanjo stemmed from his opposition to the former president’s alleged third-term agenda.
He said he chose to defend constitutional democracy and the rule of law, securing a series of landmark court victories that have since become part of Nigeria’s democratic history.
Atiku, however, said he would not be drawn into prolonged exchanges over political events that occurred more than two decades ago, insisting that the country’s pressing economic and security challenges deserved greater attention.
He urged political leaders to focus on addressing rising inflation, insecurity, unemployment and governance issues rather than revisiting historical political disputes.
While acknowledging Obasanjo’s right to support any candidate in the 2027 election, Atiku said such support should be declared openly instead of being advanced through allegations that could no longer be independently verified.
He reaffirmed his commitment to offering what he described as credible alternatives, defending democracy, promoting accountability and working towards restoring transparent and people-centred leadership in Nigeria.
