Former vice president and a stalwart of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has refuted circulating claims, asserting that President Bola Tinubu significantly benefited from his support.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, speaking on Thursday, noted that both Atiku and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, received refuge and political support from President Tinubu during their times of adversity.
Shettima recounted how Tinubu’s residence in Bourdillon served as a sanctuary for Atiku when he allegedly faced persecution within the PDP.
The Vice President said, “He has been a veritable sanctuary for victims of political witch-hunts. When Atiku Abubakar was harassed in the Peoples Democratic Party, it was Bourdillon he ran to for support and it was in Bourdillon that he got the needed support and later contested for the presidency of this country.”
However, reacting via his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, on Sunday, Atiku countered Shettima’s assertions, stating that Shettima “goofed,” and it was Tinubu who, in fact, benefited greatly from his goodwill.
Atiku said that his support was instrumental in securing Tinubu’s tenure as Lagos State Governor, preventing potential impeachment.
Atiku further clarified that he did not run under Tinubu’s party, debunking misconceptions about his political affiliations during the 2007 election.
He stated “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.
“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.”
Atiku urged Vice President Shettima to avoid commenting on topics about which he has little or no knowledge.
The statement added, “Shettima needs to be reminded that Atiku did not run under the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), but Action Congress (AC). AC came out of a coalition of ACD (Advance Congress of Democrats), formed by mainly PDM members and other associates and Tinubu’s faction of AD.
“Moreover, Tinubu was not in a position to lend the platform to Atiku as erroneously being suggested, as he (Atiku) was nominated by all the delegates from all the states.
“The delegates to the primaries of the election that threw up the former Vice President as the party’s presidential candidate included Atiku Abubakar himself, Lawal Keita, Amb. Yahaya Kwande, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, Alexis Anielo, Titi Ajanaku, former Governor Rasheed Ladoja, Chief Tom Ikimi, and Chief Dapo Sarumi.
“Others were Chief Sergeant Awuse, Alh. Lawan, Dr. Chris Ngige, Prof Ango Abdulahi, Dr Farouk Abdul Azeez, Chief Audu Ogbeh, Chief Ejiofor Onyia, and Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, among others. From the Tinubu’s Alliance for Democracy were Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Chief Segun Osoba, Chief Adebayo Adefarati, and Chief Bisi Akande, among others.”
