PRESIDENTIAL candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has strongly responded to former President Olusegun Obasanjo over his recent public remarks, describing them as yet another failed attempt to rewrite history while insisting that no amount of personal bitterness can erase either his principled stand against the controversial third-term agenda or the significant role he played in Obasanjo’s personal and political journey.
News Point Nigeria reports that Atiku’s response followed Obasanjo’s latest public criticism of his former deputy, with the former Vice President insisting that history would ultimately judge both men based on facts rather than personal grievances.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said he watched the former President’s interview with profound sadness rather than anger, adding that the comments reflected the disposition of a man who had allowed personal resentment to cloud historical truth.
According to Atiku, the genesis of Chief Obasanjo’s hostility towards him is well known to Nigerians.
“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 said.
The former Vice President maintained that if Obasanjo’s resentment stemmed from his refusal to support what he described as an unconstitutional third-term bid, then he considered that resentment 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,” Atiku stated.
He stressed that the struggle against the third-term agenda was never a personal battle between two individuals but a national effort to safeguard Nigeria’s constitutional democracy for future generations.
“The Nigerian people won that battle. Democracy won that battle. History has already delivered its verdict,” he said.
Atiku described it as unfortunate that the same individual whose alleged unconstitutional ambition was resisted now sought to sit in judgment over those who defended the Constitution.
The former Vice President further argued that it was instructive that barely 24 hours before Obasanjo’s latest outburst, the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, publicly commended the economic management team he led, describing it as “the best Nigeria has ever had.”
“Whether or not the timing is merely coincidental is for Nigerians to judge. What is beyond dispute, however, is that 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 added that while Obasanjo might choose not to appreciate his contributions to what he described as one of Nigeria’s most prosperous periods of economic management, history had been much kinder.
“Chief Obasanjo may choose not to appreciate my role in building one of Nigeria’s most prosperous economic eras, but history has been far kinder. The record speaks for itself, and so do the testimonies of those who worked closely with that administration,” he stated.
The former Vice President also said Nigerians deserved to remember aspects of history which, according to him, Obasanjo had conveniently omitted.
He recalled that while Obasanjo was imprisoned, he stood firmly by him, supported his family, worked alongside other patriots for his release and remained unwavering in his belief that the former President deserved to regain his freedom.
According to Atiku, after Obasanjo regained his freedom, he had little to his name.
“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. Beyond that, I mobilised political structures, built alliances and made enormous personal and political sacrifices that culminated in his emergence as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.
Despite recalling those events, Atiku insisted that he harboured no regrets over the support he gave Obasanjo.
“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,” he said.
He, however, maintained that gratitude should never be replaced with revisionism.
“If the true history of Chief Obasanjo’s political journey is ever written—free from selective recollection and personal bitterness—Atiku Abubakar will feature prominently as one of those whom God used to change the course of his life and political career,” he added.
Atiku also expressed disappointment that at a time when Nigeria was grappling with economic hardship, rising unemployment, insecurity and widespread despair, a former President would devote considerable energy to revisiting old political disputes instead of contributing ideas to address the nation’s pressing challenges.
“The 2027 election should be about rebuilding Nigeria, restoring security, reviving the economy and giving hope to the next generation—not reopening old political wounds,” he stated.
The ADC presidential candidate said he had deliberately exercised restraint over the years out of respect for the office Obasanjo once occupied and in deference to the relationship they previously shared.
“That restraint should never be mistaken for weakness or docility,” he said.
According to him, there comes a point when remaining silent in the face of repeated distortions of history is no longer a virtue.
“There comes a point when silence in the face of repeated distortions of history ceases to be a virtue. While I have no desire to engage in a public quarrel with a man I once stood beside in his most difficult moments, neither will I permit falsehoods, half-truths and calculated attempts to rewrite history to go unanswered,” Atiku declared.
He stressed that while Obasanjo was entitled to his opinions and personal grievances, he was not entitled to invent his own version of historical facts.
“Chief Obasanjo is entitled to his opinions. He is entitled to his personal grievances. What he is not entitled to are his own facts.
“I have chosen the path of service over resentment, vision over vendetta and national renewal over personal recrimination. Those who mistake my civility for capitulation, or my restraint for weakness, make a grave mistake.
“History is stubborn. It cannot be rewritten by bitterness, nor erased by repeated falsehoods. In the end, history will render its verdict and so will the Nigerian people,” Atiku concluded.