…Insists Bitterness Over Third-Term Defeat Driving Renewed Attacks Against Ex-VP
By Franklin Adole
The war of words between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar intensified on Sunday as Atiku’s supporters mounted a robust counteroffensive against the former Nigerian leader, accusing him of allowing lingering resentment over the collapse of his controversial third-term agenda to fuel what they described as relentless attacks on his former deputy.
The fresh backlash followed Obasanjo’s recent remarks expressing regret over choosing Atiku as his vice president, comments that have triggered a torrent of responses from the camp of the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Leading the response was Atiku himself, who declared that he had stood by Obasanjo during some of the darkest periods of his life, revealing that after the former military ruler regained freedom from prison, he personally provided financial and material support until he regained stability.
In a statement issued through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said he watched Obasanjo’s latest criticism with sadness rather than anger, insisting that history could not be rewritten by bitterness.
According to the former Vice President, he remained one of Obasanjo’s strongest allies while the former Head of State was imprisoned under the late General Sani Abacha, supporting both his family and the campaign for his release.
“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 stated.
He maintained that Obasanjo’s continued hostility stemmed principally from his refusal to support the former President’s failed third-term constitutional amendment, insisting he remained proud of standing on the side of 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,” he declared.
Atiku argued that the struggle against the third-term project was never a personal battle but a defence of constitutional democracy, adding that history had already vindicated those who resisted the proposal.
He also cited recent commendation by the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, of the economic management team he helped lead, suggesting that Obasanjo’s renewed attacks appeared calculated to diminish those achievements.
The former Vice President expressed disappointment that a former President would continue revisiting old political disputes at a time Nigeria faces severe economic hardship, insecurity, and unemployment.
He warned that while he had exercised restraint for years out of respect for the office Obasanjo once occupied, “history is stubborn” and cannot be altered by repeated allegations.
The counteroffensive was reinforced by an extensive open letter authored by Aare Amerijoye Dot.B, Director-General of The Narrative Force, who accused Obasanjo of allowing personal bitterness to overshadow historical facts.
In the strongly worded letter titled “Baba, This Bitterness Is Costing You More Than It Is Costing Atiku,” the writer argued that Obasanjo’s latest intervention was politically motivated, coming barely months before another presidential election cycle.
According to him, Atiku voluntarily shelved his own presidential ambition in 1998 in support of Obasanjo’s candidacy at a time when he could legitimately have contested for the presidency himself.
The letter further claimed that Atiku played a central role in persuading key political actors to draft Obasanjo into the presidential race, mobilising delegates, financing critical aspects of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and assembling many of the individuals who later formed the backbone of the Obasanjo administration.
It also alleged that following Obasanjo’s release from prison, Atiku helped provide financial assistance, sourced business opportunities to stabilise the former President’s personal affairs and ensured his basic needs were met before the 1999 election.
The author argued that Atiku subsequently sacrificed his own governorship mandate in Adamawa State to serve as vice president after Obasanjo requested him to join the presidential ticket.
The letter rejected longstanding allegations that Atiku began plotting against Obasanjo immediately after assuming office, insisting that available historical records showed the former vice president consistently worked for Obasanjo’s emergence in 1999 and his re-election in 2003 despite possessing sufficient political strength to challenge him.
It further contended that Obasanjo’s allegations regarding bribery, political conspiracies and anti-government plots were never substantiated despite multiple investigations and legal proceedings undertaken while he remained in office.
The author also questioned why many of the allegations now being repeated relied heavily on the testimonies of individuals who are no longer alive to confirm or dispute the claims.
Returning repeatedly to the failed third-term bid, the letter argued that Atiku’s opposition ultimately protected Nigeria’s democracy and, ironically, preserved Obasanjo’s own standing as an elder statesman.
According to the writer, had the constitutional amendment succeeded, Obasanjo’s legacy might have been irreparably damaged.
The letter concluded by urging the former President to abandon what it described as a decades-long campaign against his former deputy, warning that continued public attacks risked diminishing the moral authority and reputation he built over a lifetime.
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