The 2023 presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has shared details on how he played a crucial role in preserving Bola Tinubu’s political career.
Atiku addressed the common belief that Tinubu aided him during his conflict with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, which eventually led to Atiku running for president under the Action Congress (AC) banner in 2007.
According to Atiku, his support was pivotal for Tinubu, implying that without his intervention, Tinubu’s political journey might have concluded with his tenure as the governor of Lagos State.
Atiku, in a statement through his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, said, “Kashim Shettima goofed when he claimed that former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar benefited from Bola Tinubu’s goodwill when he was being “persecuted” in the PDP.
“Truth be told, it was Tinubu who benefited immensely from Atiku’s goodwill. But for Atiku’s support, hinged on his pro-democracy instincts and rule of law, Tinubu’s tenure as governor of Lagos would have been rough with a wide possibility of the termination of his political career.
“For some time, and especially leading up to the 2023 election, there has been a deliberate attempt to distort the history of the politics of the early 4th Republic by ascribing the AC, the political platform that Atiku ran in 2007 as Tinubu’s party.
“Nothing can be further from the truth. Shettima obviously carried away with the euphoria of the unveiling of his official residence as Vice President, repeated the same lie.
“Shettima needs to be reminded that Atiku did not run under the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), but Action Congress (AC). AC came out of a coalition of ACD (Advance Congress of Democrats), formed by mainly PDM members and other associates and Tinubu’s faction of AD.”
According to Atiku Abubakar, President Tinubu was not in a position to offer him a platform “as erroneously being suggested,” because Atiku was nominated by delegates from all the states.
Atiku named the delegates who participated in the primaries that selected him as the party’s presidential candidate. The delegates included himself, Lawal Keita, Ambassador Yahaya Kwande, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, Alexis Anielo, Titi Ajanaku, former Governor Rasheed Ladoja, Chief Tom Ikimi, and Chief Dapo Sarumi.
Other delegates were Chief Sergeant Awuse, Alhaji Lawan, Dr. Chris Ngige, Professor Ango Abdullahi, Dr. Farouk Abdul Azeez, Chief Audu Ogbeh, Chief Ejiofor Onyia, and Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, among others.
He also mentioned that from Tinubu’s Alliance for Democracy, the delegates included Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Chief Segun Osoba, Chief Adebayo Adefarati, and Chief Bisi Akande, among others.
Follow the Parallel Facts channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaCQSAoHgZWiDjR3Kn2E
