Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar says that without his support, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu‘s political career might have long ended at the governorship level in Lagos State. His assertion counters the election-era narrative that Tinubu rescued Atiku during his conflict with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, leading to Atiku’s presidential bid under the Action Congress (AC) in 2007.
Atiku Media Adviser Paul Ibe, in a statement on behalf of his principal clarified that Tinubu benefited enormously from Atiku’s support due to Atiku’s commitment to democracy and the rule of law. He said Tinubu’s tenure as governor would have been challenging and possibly cut short without the VP’s backing back then.
In the statement, Ibe remarked, “Vice President Kashim Shettima goofed when he claimed that former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar benefited from President Bola Tinubu’s goodwill when he was being “persecuted” in the PDP.
“Truth be told, it was Tinubu that actually benefited immensely from Atiku’s goodwill. But for Atiku’s support, hinged on his pro-democracy instincts and rule of law, Tinubu’s tenure as governor of Lagos would have been rough with a wide possibility of termination of his political career.”
Atiku, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Candidate in the 2023 election, also addressed the misconception that the Action Congress (AC) was solely Tinubu’s party. He explained that the AC emerged from a coalition of the Advance Congress of Democrats (ACD), primarily comprising PDM members and associates, along with Tinubu’s faction from the Alliance for Democracy (AD).
Atiku said he was nominated by delegates from all states, not only by Tinubu’s influence. He listed the delegates who nominated him to include notable figures such as Lawal Keita, Amb. Yahaya Kwande, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, and others, as well as notable members from Tinubu’s Alliance for Democracy like Chief Segun Osoba, Chief Adebayo Adefarati, and Chief Bisi Akande.
The former vice president felt the need to clarify in response to Vice President Kashim Shettima’s claim in a recent speech that Atiku benefited from Tinubu’s goodwill during his political crisis in PDP.
Atiku’s rebuttal is intended to set the record straight on his political history and contributions.
“For some time, and especially leading up to the 2023 election, there has been a deliberate attempt to distort the history of the politics of the early 4th Republic by ascribing the AC, the political platform that Atiku ran in 2007 as Tinubu’s party.
“Nothing can be further from the truth. Vice President Shettima, obviously carried away with the euphoria of the unveiling of his official residence as Vice President, repeated the same lie.”
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