I Am Proud I Stood Against Your 3rd Term Agenda, Atiku Fires Back At Obasanjo

I Am Proud I Stood Against Your Third Term Agenda, Atiku Fires Back At Obasanjo

BY GEORGE OKOJIE, Lagos

Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, on Saturday described recent criticisms by former President Olusegun Obasanjo against him as another failed attempt to rewrite history, saying he remains proud of opposing the controversial third-term agenda.

Atiku in a statement on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said Obasanjo’s latest public comments merely mirrored “personal resentment” rather than historical truth and insisted that his opposition to the third-term bid was a constitutional duty.

He said, “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,” Atiku said.

According to him, “if Obasanjo’s criticism stemmed from his refusal to support an unconstitutional extension of tenure, he regarded such resentment as “a badge of honour.”

Atiku pointed out that the battle against the third-term agenda was not about personal rivalry but about preserving Nigeria’s constitutional democracy, noting that, “the Nigerian people won that battle.”

He alluded to recent remarks by the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who described the economic management team under the Obasanjo administration as “the best Nigeria has ever had.”

According to him, the comments underscored the contributions of the administration in which he served and contrasted them with what he described as Obasanjo’s efforts to diminish his role.

Atiku who recounted his relationship with Obasanjo before the latter became president in 1999, claimed he stood by him during his imprisonment, supported his family, and played a significant role in rebuilding his political career after his release.

The former vice president said he received Obasanjo after his release from prison, provided him with support, mobilised political structures and built alliances that contributed to his emergence as Nigeria’s president.

He further affirmed that he had no regrets over his actions, saying acts of kindness should not be repaid with what he described as historical revisionism.

Atiku said any objective account of Obasanjo’s political journey would acknowledge his own role in shaping the former president’s return to national leadership, faulting Obasanjo’s resolve to focus on old political disagreements at a time when the country faces economic hardship, insecurity and unemployment.

According to him, the 2027 general election should centre on rebuilding the economy, improving security and restoring hope rather than revisiting past political disputes.

Atiku pointed out that he had exercised restraint over the years out of respect for Obasanjo and the office he once occupied, saying he would no longer remain silent in the face of what he described as repeated distortions of history.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo had described his decision to pick Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as running mate in the 1999 presidential election as the biggest mistake of his life.

Obasanjo made the statement on Friday in Lagos during a fireside chat with maverick musician and activist Charly Boy. The event was held to unveil Charly Boy’s foundation and his memoir, “999: A Memoir in Tribute to Late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa”.

’’A video of the event, later published by iWitnessLive TV on YouTube, captured Obasanjo as reflecting on his years in office after Charly Boy asked him to identify the greatest mistake he made as president.

He said, “What I have found in my own life is that mistakes that could have been fatal, God had taken care of them for me.

‘’Pressed to identify one specific mistake, the former President responded, “The man I picked as my running mate, my number two. If I had known him as I came to know him later, I would not have picked him.”