The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, has dismissed former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s allegation that he bribed the late former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Umar Na’Abba, to support an impeachment plot against him.
Naijaonpoint reports that Atiku described the allegation as politically motivated, claiming it was designed to damage his reputation and strengthen the electoral chances of Obasanjo’s preferred candidate ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The former vice president stated this in a statement issued on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.
Atiku argued that the timing of Obasanjo’s allegation was suspicious, coming as political alignments for the 2027 election gather momentum.
He said, “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.”
The ADC leader urged Obasanjo to openly declare whom he intended to support in the next presidential election rather than, according to him, relying on allegations that could no longer be independently tested.
“If former President Obasanjo has chosen to take a political position ahead of 2027, he should simply declare it and allow Nigerians to judge it on its merits, rather than attempting to influence public opinion through allegations that can no longer be tested because the principal witness is no longer alive,” Atiku said.
The former vice president also questioned why Obasanjo did not publicly advance the allegation while Na’Abba was alive.
He argued that raising the matter after the former Speaker’s death denied Nigerians the opportunity to hear his account of what allegedly transpired.
Atiku maintained that the bribery allegation had no judicial or official backing.
“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,” he said.
Third-Term Battle Resurfaced
Atiku also linked what he described as Obasanjo’s continued hostility towards him to their political disagreements during the former President’s administration, particularly his opposition to the alleged third-term agenda.
He said his position at the time was based on defending constitutional democracy rather than personal political interests.
“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. Those battles are now part of Nigeria’s democratic history. It is evident that the bitterness arising from that defining period has failed to leave former President Obasanjo,” Atiku said.
The ADC presidential candidate said he would not allow himself to be distracted by historical political disputes at a time Nigerians were grappling with economic hardship, insecurity, unemployment and hunger.
He said his priority remained presenting alternatives to the current leadership and promoting democratic accountability.
“Our focus remains unwavering: offering credible alternatives, defending democracy, demanding accountability and working with all patriotic Nigerians to restore competent, transparent and people-centred leadership to our country. Nigerians deserve solutions to today’s problems, not recycled political tales from yesterday,” Atiku said.
