Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo of harbouring resentment over his role in stopping the controversial attempt to extend his presidency beyond the constitutionally permitted two terms.
Atiku’s response followed comments by Obasanjo on Friday in which the former President said he regretted choosing Atiku as his running mate and expressed relief that the former Vice President was never allowed to harm Nigeria during his administration.
In May 2006, the Senate rejected a constitutional amendment that would have allowed Obasanjo to seek another four-year term in office. Atiku, who was Vice President at the time, was widely believed to have opposed the proposal.
Reacting to Obasanjo’s latest comments, Atiku, through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, described the former President’s remarks as another attempt to rewrite history.
Atiku, who is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 election, said he watched the interview with “profound sadness, not anger”, arguing that Obasanjo’s personal resentment had clouded historical facts.
He maintained that he had no regrets about opposing the third-term agenda, insisting that his position was based on the need to protect Nigeria’s Constitution and democracy.
“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.
He added that if Obasanjo’s resentment stemmed from his refusal to support the proposed third term, he considered the criticism a badge of honour.
“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,” he said.
According to Atiku, the struggle against the third-term proposal was not a personal dispute between him and Obasanjo but a battle to preserve constitutional democracy for future generations.
“The Nigerian people won that battle. Democracy won that battle. History has already delivered its verdict,” he said.
The former Vice President also pointed to recent comments by World Trade Organisation Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who reportedly praised the economic management team he led during the Obasanjo administration.
Atiku said it was significant that the tribute came barely 24 hours before Obasanjo’s latest comments.
“While distinguished Nigerians who served at the highest levels continue to acknowledge my contributions to one of Nigeria’s most successful periods of economic management, Chief Obasanjo appears determined to diminish them,” he said.
Atiku further recalled his support for Obasanjo during the former President’s imprisonment, saying he helped his family and worked with other Nigerians to secure his release.
He also claimed that after Obasanjo regained his freedom, he provided him with personal support and helped mobilise political structures that contributed to his emergence as President in 1999.
“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,” Atiku said.
Obasanjo had made the remarks about Atiku during a fireside chat with entertainer Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, in Lagos at the unveiling of the latter’s foundation and memoir.
The former President said that, with the benefit of hindsight, he would not have selected Atiku as his deputy.
“The man I picked as my running mate, my No. 2, if I had known as I came to know him later, I would not have picked him,” Obasanjo said.
He, however, maintained that he did not harbour bitterness over their past political disagreements.
“There is no bitterness because he did things that he believed he should do and God did things He had to do, which made me achieve what I was able to achieve,” Obasanjo said.
The long-running political relationship between the two former leaders has remained contentious since they left office, with both men repeatedly exchanging accusations over corruption, abuse of office and political betrayal.
