Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has replied to former President Olusegun Obasanjo over recent comments against him, saying he stood by the former military ruler during his time in prison and after his release, insisting history cannot be changed.
Obasanjo had on Friday described choosing Atiku as his running mate in the 1999 presidential election as the biggest mistake of his presidency.
In a statement released on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described Obasanjo’s remarks as “another failed attempt to rewrite history.”
He defended his stand against the third-term agenda, saying he had no regrets for choosing constitutional democracy over personal loyalty.
“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.
“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 said.
He said the fight against the third-term plan was “never about two individuals but about preserving Nigeria’s constitutional democracy for future generations.”
“The Nigerian people won that battle. Democracy won that battle. History has already delivered its verdict,” he added.
Atiku said history showed he supported Obasanjo while he was in prison, helped him after his release, built political alliances that aided his emergence as president, and had no regrets, adding that “gratitude should never be replaced with revisionism.”
Referring to comments by WTO Director-General Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Atiku said she acknowledged the economic management team he led, while accusing Obasanjo of trying to downplay his contributions.
He also expressed disappointment that, with Nigeria facing economic hardship, insecurity and unemployment, Obasanjo was “recycling old grudges instead of contributing solutions.”
“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 said.
Atiku said he had remained quiet out of respect for Obasanjo and the office he once held, but would no longer ignore what he called repeated attempts to twist history.
“There comes a point when silence in the face of repeated distortions of history ceases to be a virtue.
“Chief Obasanjo is entitled to his opinions. He is entitled to his personal grievances. What he is not entitled to are his own facts.”
He added that he remained focused on Nigeria’s future.
“I have chosen the path of service over resentment, vision over vendetta and national renewal over personal recrimination.
“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,” he added.
