The verbal war between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar rose to a higher gear yesterday with Atiku dismissing Obasanjo’s allegation that he bribed the Ghali Umar Na’Abba-led House of Representatives to get him impeached as President before the 2003 elections.
The allegation was contained in Obasanjo’s July 23 letter responding to former Ogun State Governor Olusegun Osoba’s reflections on the 2003 elections, published in The Legal Observer on July 20 wherein he reflected on the frosty relationship between him and his former deputy.
In a statement issued yesterday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku alleged that the claims were revived to damage his reputation and bolster the political prospects of Obasanjo’s preferred candidate ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Atiku described Obasanjo’s allegation that he bribed the late former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Umar Na’Abba, to facilitate his impeachment as baseless and unfair, particularly because the late lawmaker is no longer alive to respond.
The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress said it is inappropriate to make serious allegations involving a deceased individual who cannot defend himself or clarify the circumstances surrounding the claims.
Atiku said: “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.
“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.” Atiku fumed.
The former vice president further argued that “the allegation also casts doubt on the integrity of the late Na’Abba, who is no longer in a position to defend his reputation.
“The late Rt. Hon. Ghali Na’Abba cannot now defend his own integrity or respond to the allegation that he accepted a bribe. It is unfair to his memory and contrary to our cultural values to conscript the dead into contemporary political battles when they no longer have a voice,” the statement added.
Atiku also wondered why no legal action was taken if the alleged offence had indeed occurred, insisting that the accusation lacks the backing of any court judgment or official finding.
“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 former vice president said.
He maintained that the timing of the allegation suggests a political motive, claiming it was intended to weaken his standing ahead of the next general election while benefiting Obasanjo’s “kinsman.”
“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,” he said.
The former vice president also linked Obasanjo’s longstanding criticism of him to their disagreement over the controversial third-term agenda of the former president’s administration.
“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,” Atiku stated.
He said that despite the renewed accusations, he would not be drawn into prolonged exchanges over events from more than two decades ago, arguing that Nigeria’s current economic and security challenges deserve greater attention.
“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,” the former vice president said.
He added that while Obasanjo has every right to support any candidate of his choice ahead of the 2027 election, such support should be expressed openly rather than through allegations that cannot be independently verified because a key figure in the matter is deceased.
Atiku reaffirmed his commitment to what he described as offering credible alternatives, defending democratic values and promoting accountable, transparent and people-centred leadership, insisting that Nigerians are seeking practical solutions to the country’s pressing challenges rather than renewed political disputes over the past.
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