Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has recounted how he rejected an attempt by then Lagos State Governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to become his running mate, saying he opposed a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket in the country’s interest.
According to Daily Trust, Atiku disclosed this in a Hausa-language video interview shared on X, where he recalled events following his emergence as the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He said Tinubu sent five elders, including former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bisi Akande, and former Foreign Affairs Minister, Tom Ikimi, to persuade him to pick him as his running mate.
According to Atiku, the elders told him Tinubu wanted to support his presidential ambition and become his running mate.
He said, “He said he would back me to secure the ticket. After I got the ticket, he sent five elders among them Tom Ikimi, Bisi Akande and three others. They told me that Tinubu wanted to be my running mate.
“I told them that, as Christians they should understand that it was inappropriate for me to pick a Muslim as my running mate.
“I asked them why they could not tell him that. I told them that I could not accept a Muslim-Muslim ticket, because it would not be of the best interest of our country.”
Atiku said Tinubu subsequently broke away and backed the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, adding that they remained in different political camps until the 2014 election period.
He recalled that after the APC convention, former President Muhammadu Buhari visited him in Abuja and sought his support for the presidential election.
According to Atiku, Buhari told him he had won the party’s primary but needed his support to win the general election.
Atiku said he agreed to support Buhari on the condition that he would not choose Tinubu as his running mate because of the proposed Muslim-Muslim ticket.
He said Buhari accepted the condition after briefly considering it.
Atiku added that after Buhari left his residence, Tinubu sent emissaries to find out about the agreement between them.
He said Tinubu became upset after learning that Buhari would not pick him as running mate and insisted that Buhari had failed to keep his promise.
According to Atiku, Tinubu later suggested that Buhari could pick his wife, Oluremi Tinubu, who is a Christian, as his running mate, but Buhari rejected the proposal because he was unwilling to work with a female running mate.
He said clerics were subsequently brought into the disagreement before Tinubu eventually agreed to the nomination of Yemi Osinbajo, then Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, as Buhari’s running mate.
Atiku said Buhari accepted Osinbajo’s nomination, paving the way for the APC’s successful presidential ticket in the 2015 election.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
What do you think about this?
Drop your opinion in the comment section.
FOLLOW US & Share this with someone who needs to see this.
