NewsAtiku slams Obasanjo over alleged 20-year campaign of lies, deceit Last updated: 10 August 2026 7:30 am By Breezynews Share 8 Min Read SHARE Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo of waging what he described as a more than two-decade campaign of “lies, political manipulation and orchestrated deceit” against him.Atiku’s Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, made the accusation in Abuja on Sunday while responding to a recent claim by Obasanjo that Atiku had mobilised the late Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na’Abba, to remove him from office during their administration between 1999 and 2007.Obasanjo reportedly made the allegation on 23 July, reviving one of the long-running disputes surrounding the relationship between the two former political allies.Ibe said Obasanjo had repeatedly revived allegations of betrayal and corruption against Atiku, particularly as election periods approached.“This time, he chose to make a man who passed away nearly three years ago the subject of his baseless allegation,” Ibe said.Na’Abba, who died in 2023, is therefore unable to respond to the allegation, which Ibe described as malicious.The Atiku camp cited the account of former member of the House of Representatives, Abubakar Bwari, who served as Chief Whip during the 1999-2007 legislative sessions, as contradicting Obasanjo’s version of events.According to Bwari, Na’Abba did not seek Obasanjo’s removal, although Atiku allegedly acted as an emissary to lawmakers on behalf of the then President.Ibe also challenged accounts surrounding the relationship between Obasanjo and Atiku in the build-up to the 2003 presidential election.He cited a video in which former Abia State governor and then Peoples Democratic Party governor, Orji Uzor Kalu, said Atiku had sought the support of PDP governors for Obasanjo’s re-election.“Atiku knelt down; we were like 17 governors. He knelt down for us and said that he does not want to be disloyal to Obasanjo,” Kalu was quoted as saying.According to Ibe, the account contradicted claims allegedly promoted by Obasanjo’s camp that the former President had been forced to seek Atiku’s support by kneeling before him.Kalu was also quoted as saying that some PDP governors had been making arrangements that could have paved the way for Atiku to emerge as President, but that Atiku declined to betray Obasanjo.“Atiku was almost a President. We had gotten everyone to postpone the (PDP) convention and had gotten what we needed to move forward, but he (Atiku) said this man (Obasanjo) trusted him, and allowed him to work with him. That he cannot betray Obasanjo,” Kalu said, according to Ibe’s statement.PTDF controversy revisitedThe statement also revisited the controversy surrounding the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), which became a major point of conflict between Obasanjo and Atiku ahead of the 2007 presidential election.Obasanjo had asked the Senate to investigate alleged financial impropriety involving the fund. Atiku denied wrongdoing and submitted himself for investigation, maintaining that the money in question remained in fixed deposit accounts.Atiku also alleged at the time that the investigation was politically motivated and connected to his opposition to Obasanjo’s controversial attempt to secure a third term in office.Ibe referred to accounts in the autobiography of the late Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, titled Awujale, in an attempt to provide further context to the PTDF controversy.According to Ibe, Oba Adetona’s account included details of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s treatment of Globacom Chairman, Mike Adenuga, during the period.The statement quoted the late monarch as saying that EFCC officials went to Adenuga’s Lagos residence on 9 July 2006, broke through the gate and detained him before he was subsequently released after questioning.“The EFCC purportedly were on the trail of some money belonging to the Petroleum Technology Development Fund, but there was really more beneath the veneer,” Oba Adetona wrote, according to the statement.Ibe alleged that the investigation was intended, among other things, to establish a connection between Adenuga and Atiku over the PTDF funds.He also rejected allegations that Adenuga had used PTDF funds to finance Globacom’s operating licence, saying the businessman secured financing for the transaction from BNP Paribas Bank.The statement further drew on Oba Adetona’s account of Adenuga’s relationship with Obasanjo following the businessman’s detention and subsequent departure from Nigeria.According to the account, Obasanjo later met Adenuga at a social event and invited him to Ota, where he allegedly sought the businessman’s assistance with the construction of an administrative block at Bells University, founded by the former President.“Mike agreed, and Cachez Turnkey Projects Ltd handled the project for him,” the statement quoted Oba Adetona as writing.Ibe said Adenuga subsequently left Nigeria amid what he described as continued harassment by the EFCC but returned after Obasanjo left office.He further cited the late monarch’s account that work on the Bells University project slowed during Adenuga’s absence and that the university later sought a meeting with him over the continuation of the project.The Atiku camp argued that the account raised questions about the contrast between the former President’s public treatment of Adenuga and his alleged dealings with the businessman.A relationship marked by political conflictThe latest exchange adds to the long-running political dispute between Obasanjo and Atiku, whose relationship deteriorated significantly during their two terms in office.The two men had been political allies before the 1999 presidential election, when Obasanjo emerged as the PDP’s presidential candidate and selected Atiku as his running mate.They won re-election in 2003, but disagreements later emerged over political succession, allegations of corruption and Obasanjo’s bid for a third term.Atiku subsequently left the PDP and contested the 2007 presidential election on the platform of the Action Congress after his relationship with Obasanjo broke down.He has remained a prominent figure in opposition politics and is currently the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress for the 2027 election.Against this backdrop, Ibe said Obasanjo’s latest allegation should be viewed in the context of a political relationship that has remained contentious for more than two decades.He accused the former President of repeatedly seeking to damage Atiku’s reputation and argued that the latest claims would not withstand scrutiny.Obasanjo had yet to publicly respond to the allegations contained in Atiku’s statement as of the time of filing this report.When contacted for a reaction, the former President’s Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, said: “No comment.”Share this: Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Share on X (Opens in new window) X Like this:Like Loading… TAGGED:AtikuObasanjo Share This Article Email Copy Link Print Previous Article Presidency, Atiku in fresh clash over killings Next Article When prophets speak truth to power Leave a CommentLeave a Reply Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. 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