Atiku Fires Back at Obasanjo, Says He Stood by Ex-President in Prison and After Release
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has responded to former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s recent criticism, insisting he stood by the former military ruler during his incarceration and after his release from prison, and declaring that history cannot be rewritten.
Obasanjo had on Friday described his decision to pick Atiku as his running mate in the 1999 presidential election as the biggest mistake of his presidency. He made the remark in Lagos during a fireside conversation with entertainer and activist Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, at the public presentation of Charly Boy’s foundation and memoir, *999: A Memoir in Tribute to Late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa*.
In a statement issued on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described Obasanjo’s comments as “another failed attempt to rewrite history.”
The former vice-president defended his opposition to the controversial third-term agenda during the Obasanjo administration, saying he had no regrets for choosing constitutional democracy over personal loyalty.
“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 said.
He added that the battle 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.”
Reacting to Obasanjo’s assessment of his role in the administration, Atiku said history records that he played a significant part in the former president’s political comeback.
“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.”
Atiku said he does not regret assisting Obasanjo despite the deterioration of their relationship. “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.”
He maintained, however, that “gratitude should never be replaced with revisionism.”
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