Atiku Abubakar and Olusegun Obasanjo
Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has rejected recent allegations made by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, describing them as part of a long-running campaign to tarnish his image.
In a statement issued on Sunday by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, Atiku’s camp said recent comments credited to Obasanjo regarding an alleged impeachment plot and corruption allegations were inconsistent with historical accounts and testimonies of individuals who played key roles during the period.
The statement was a response to remarks attributed to Obasanjo on July 23, in which the former President alleged that Atiku mobilised the late former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Ghali Umar Na’Abba, to orchestrate moves aimed at removing him from office during their time in government.
According to Ibe, the allegations were unfounded and followed what he described as a recurring pattern of accusations against Atiku during election seasons.
The statement argued that former Chief Whip of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abubakar Bawa Bwari, had publicly disputed the allegation, maintaining that the late Na’Abba never sought Obasanjo’s impeachment.
According to the statement, Bwari also maintained that Atiku acted as an envoy of the former President in engagements with lawmakers rather than working against him.
The Atiku camp also referred to a 2003 video in which former Abia State Governor, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, recounted events surrounding Obasanjo’s bid for a second term in office.
Quoting Kalu, the statement said: “Atiku knelt down, we were like 17 governors. He knelt down for us and said that he does not want to be disloyal to Obasanjo. That four years is like four days.”
The statement further quoted Kalu as saying:
“Atiku was almost a President. We had gotten everyone to postpone the (PDP) Convention and had gotten what we needed to move forward. But he (Atiku), said this man (Obasanjo) trusted him, and gave him the opportunity to work with him. That he cannot betray Obasanjo.”»
According to Ibe, Kalu’s account contradicted narratives suggesting that Obasanjo knelt before Atiku in order to secure support for a second term.
On allegations relating to the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) before the 2007 elections, the statement maintained that Atiku had consistently denied wrongdoing and voluntarily presented himself for investigation after temporarily waiving his constitutional immunity.
The statement said Atiku maintained at the time that the PTDF funds remained in fixed deposit accounts and that the investigation was politically motivated because of his opposition to Obasanjo’s third-term agenda.
Ibe also relied on excerpts from the autobiography of the late Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, titled Awujale, to support the defence of the former Vice President.
Quoting the monarch’s memoir, the statement reproduced the following passage:
«”The EFCC in Lagos had come calling brusquely on Mike Adenuga (Jnr), Chairman Globacom on 9 July 2006. They broke his gate, swarmed into his house and kept him under ‘arrest’. When I heard about the arrest, I called the legal firms of Ayanlaja SAN & Adesanya SAN as well as Professor Biodun Adesanya SAN to take up the matter and secure Mike’s release. They swung into action and gave every indication that they would take the matter to court.»
«”By evening, it was no longer necessary to go to court as Mike, following his statement to EFCC, had been released with instructions to report regularly to the EFCC headquarters in Abuja. Mike proceeded to Abuja, accompanied by his lawyer, Prof. Biodun Adesanya SAN.”»
The statement also quoted another section of the memoir which read:
“Indirectly related to this case (PTDF), the EFCC had quizzed and released Mohammed Babangida, Ibrahim Babangida’s son.”
It added that the memoir further stated: “EFCC purportedly were on the trail of some money belonging to the Petroleum Trust Development Fund (PTDF), but there was really more beneath the veneer.”»
According to the statement, Obasanjo had alleged that PTDF funds were used by Globacom Chairman, Dr. Mike Adenuga, to pay for the company’s telecom licence. However, it argued that Adenuga secured financing through BNP Paribas Bank for the licence payment.
The statement further quoted another section of the memoir in which the late monarch recounted interactions between Obasanjo and Adenuga despite the EFCC investigation.
According to the memoir: “Not long afterwards, and in the heat of this mess (arrest and harassment of Adenuga), Obasanjo did two things that puzzled me. He called Mike to meet him at a social event in Lagos—Engr. Olapade’s birthday celebration. Mike and Obasanjo were both captured by press photographers in the newspapers at the event.»
“Following the celebration, Obasanjo asked Mike to accompany him to Ota. It was in Ota that he (Obasanjo and while he was still President) solicited for the construction of the Administration Block of his university, Bells University in Ota. Mike agreed and Cachez Turnkey Projects Ltd handled the project for him.”»
The statement concluded by citing another passage from the Awujale’s memoir:
“Thereafter, Mike returned home. Nobody touched him and no institution has prosecuted him (till date) because there was no genuine reason from the onset for anybody to touch him.»
“However, the construction project at Bells University slowed considerably while Mike was in exile and a few solicitous calls from Obasanjo to Mike while he was in exile did not change the pace of work. On his return from exile, the school, Bells University, had the temerity to write to him seeking for a meeting to discuss the continuation of the project. When I got to know, I offered to be in attendance at the meeting and sent word round that I would be in attendance. I had the intention to lambast all of them. They must have sensed it because up till now, the meeting has not been held!”»
The statement maintained that the accounts cited by Atiku’s camp challenged the allegations made against the former Vice President and reinforced its position that previous accusations were politically motivated.
