Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has responded to former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s recent statements about him, asserting that he supported the former military leader during his imprisonment and after his release, claiming that history cannot be altered.
Remember that Obasanjo stated on Friday that choosing Atiku as his running mate in the 1999 presidential election was the greatest error of his presidency.
Obasanjo shared his thoughts in Lagos during a casual discussion with renowned entertainer and activist Charles Oputa, widely known as Charly Boy, at the public unveiling of Charly Boy’s foundation and memoir, 999: A Memoir in Tribute to the Late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa.
Nevertheless, Atiku, in a statement released on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, characterised Obasanjo’s recent remarks as “yet another unsuccessful attempt to alter history”.
He also stood by his stance against the contentious third-term plan of the Obasanjo government, expressing no regrets for prioritising constitutional democracy over personal allegiance.
“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.
According to the ADC chieftain, 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,” he added.
Atiku also spoke on Obasanjo’s assessment of his role in the administration they served together, saying history records that he played a significant role 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,” he said.
“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.”
“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.
Atiku mentioned that he did 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 said.
However, he maintained that “gratitude should never be replaced with revisionism.”
