Atiku Fires Back At Obasanjo Over Bribery Claim, Says ex- President working for a Presidential Candidate – THISAGE

By Ayo Kehinde

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has mounted a vigorous defence against former President Olusegun Obasanjo over allegations that he bribed the late Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Umar Na’Abba, to facilitate an impeachment plot against him, describing the accusation as an attempt to rewrite history for political gain ahead of the 2027 general election.

Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, on Friday said the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) accused his former principal of making an allegation that could no longer be subjected to public scrutiny because the individual allegedly at the centre of the claim was no longer alive.

Titled “The Grave Is Not a Witness Box”, the statement argued that Obasanjo’s latest remarks were not only reckless but deeply unfair to the memory of the late Na’Abba, who died without having the opportunity to either confirm or deny the allegation.

The rebuttal comes after Obasanjo alleged that Atiku financially induced Na’Abba during the political crises that engulfed the National Assembly in the early years of the Fourth Republic in a bid to remove him from office.

Reacting to the allegation, Atiku questioned why Obasanjo allegedly failed to make such claims while the late former Speaker was alive.

According to him, waiting until Na’Abba’s death before making the accusation deprived Nigerians of the opportunity to hear the other side of the story and violated the moral obligation to speak truthfully about those who have passed on.

“As Africans, we understand the solemn duty of speaking truthfully about the dead. It is 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. 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?” he queried.

Atiku maintained that accusing a deceased public official of accepting a bribe without giving him an opportunity to defend his integrity amounted to dragging the dead into contemporary political battles.

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The former Vice President also challenged the credibility of the allegation, insisting that it had never been substantiated by any judicial finding, criminal investigation or official determination. He argued that if credible evidence had existed, the Obasanjo administration possessed the constitutional authority and institutional machinery to investigate and prosecute anyone involved.

“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”, the statement added.

According to Atiku, the absence of any prosecution or official indictment over the alleged bribery significantly weakens the credibility of the claim

Atiku further alleged that the timing of the renewed accusation was far from coincidental, claiming it was intended to damage his reputation as political permutations for the 2027 presidential election gather momentum. He accused Obasanjo of attempting to shape public opinion through allegations that could no longer be independently verified because the principal witness was dead.

The former Vice President said Nigerians were politically mature enough to recognise what he described as recycled allegations resurrected for political convenience. He also suggested that Obasanjo was seeking to confer political advantage on a preferred candidate ahead of the next presidential election instead of openly declaring his political preference.

“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”, Atiku stated.

Atiku argued that the lingering animosity between himself and Obasanjo stemmed from his refusal to support the controversial third-term agenda pursued during the former President’s administration. He maintained that he stood firmly in defence of constitutional democracy and resisted attempts to amend the Constitution to extend Obasanjo’s tenure beyond the constitutionally permitted two terms.

According to him, the legal battles that followed, in which he successfully challenged executive actions against him, have become part of Nigeria’s democratic history.

Atiku said the bitterness arising from that period had continued to shape Obasanjo’s disposition towards him nearly two decades later.

The former Vice President said he had no intention of becoming distracted by historical political disputes at a time Nigeria faces severe economic and security challenges. He listed rising food prices, mounting public debt, mass unemployment, worsening insecurity and recurring allegations of financial mismanagement as issues requiring urgent national attention.

According to him, Nigerians expect leaders to provide practical solutions to the country’s present difficulties rather than engage in exchanges over events that occurred more than 20 years ago.

“Our focus remains unwavering: offering credible alternatives, defending democracy, demanding accountability and working with all patriotic Nigerians to restore competent, transparent and people-centred leadership to our country”, the statement concluded.

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