Atiku Abubakar, a former Vice President and PDP Presidential candidate, refuted Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s accusations of betrayal in a press conference on Thursday. He recounted the events of 2007, when they both formed the Action Congress (AC) party. Atiku emerged as the party’s presidential candidate at the Lagos convention, after which he claimed that Tinubu expressed interest in being his running mate.
However, Atiku revealed that he rejected the idea of a Muslim-Muslim ticket. He was quoted saying, “I said, gentlemen, you are all old enough. And apparently, virtually all of you are Christians, with the exception of one person. What would be your reaction to having a Muslim-Muslim ticket? All of them said, We totally object to it.”
Atiku further stated that their political relationship ended when Tinubu chose to support Umaru Yar’Adua instead. He challenged the notion of betrayal by recalling how he defended Lagos from being taken over by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in 2003, suggesting that it was Tinubu who owed him a debt of gratitude.
Atiku vehemently denied any allegations of backstabbing or betrayal towards Tinubu. He maintained his stance against a Muslim-Muslim ticket, stating, “Until today, I will not do a Muslim-Muslim ticket. So, I don’t have to be president because I don’t believe it is right for this country. It’s not right.”