Atiku knocks Obasanjo: I’m proud to stand against your third-term ambition, I clothed you after prison release

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has described ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo’s latest public outburst against him as another failed attempt to rewrite history, saying he was proud to stand against his former principal’s alleged third-term ambition.

Obasanjo had described the selection of Atiku as his running mate in the 1999 presidential election as the greatest mistake of his eight-year administration.

Reacting via a statement issued on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former vice president said he watched his former principal’s interview with sadness, and not anger, because it reflected the “disposition of a man who has allowed personal resentment to cloud historical truth.”

The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) stated that no amount of bitterness can erase either the constitutional stand he took against the alleged third-term agenda or the pivotal role he played in Obasanjo’s personal and political journey.

Atiku said: “I am proud that I stood against the third-term agenda. I am proud that I stood by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I have no apology whatsoever for frustrating every attempt to subvert our democracy for personal ambition.

“If Chief Obasanjo’s bitterness stems from my refusal to support an unconstitutional third term, then I wear that resentment as a badge of honour. No individual, regardless of his status or accomplishments, is bigger than the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Constitution is supreme, and I chose Nigeria over personal loyalty.”

Atiku noted that the struggle against the third-term agenda was never about two individuals but about preserving Nigeria’s constitutional democracy for future generations.

“The Nigerian people won that battle. Democracy won that battle. History has already delivered its verdict,” Atiku said.

Atiku said it was particularly instructive that barely twenty-four hours before Obasanjo’s latest outburst, the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, publicly paid glowing tribute to the economic management team he led, describing it as “the best Nigeria has ever had.”

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He added: “Whether or not the timing is merely coincidental is for Nigerians to judge. What is beyond dispute, however, is that while distinguished Nigerians who served at the highest levels continue to acknowledge my contributions to one of Nigeria’s most successful periods of economic management, Chief Obasanjo appears determined to diminish them.

“Chief Obasanjo may choose not to appreciate my role in building one of Nigeria’s most prosperous economic eras, but history has been far kinder. The record speaks for itself, and so do the testimonies of those who worked closely with that administration.”

Atiku further recalled that he stood firmly by Obasanjo while the latter was in prison, saying: “History records that while Chief Obasanjo was in prison, I stood firmly by him. I supported his family, worked tirelessly with other patriots for his release and never wavered in my belief that he deserved his freedom.

“When he eventually regained his freedom, he had little to his name. I received him, clothed him, ensured he was properly cared for and extended every support necessary to help him regain his footing. Beyond that, I mobilised political structures, built alliances and made enormous personal and political sacrifices that culminated in his emergence as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

“Do I regret helping Chief Obasanjo? Absolutely not. When God gives you the opportunity to lift another human being, you do so without expecting repayment. Acts of kindness are matters of conscience, not commercial transactions.“