African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has dismissed former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s claim that he bribed the late Rt. Hon. Ghali Umar Na’Abba to impeach him, describing the allegation as politically driven and meant to help Obasanjo’s preferred candidate ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
In a statement issued on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said:
“Coming at a time when the political landscape ahead of the 2027 general election is taking shape, the obvious objective is to besmirch my person and reputation and confer an undeserved political advantage on the former President’s kinsman. Nigerians, however, know better. They are too discerning to be distracted by stale allegations resurrected for political convenience.”
The ADC leader asked Obasanjo to openly declare his political choice instead of making claims that cannot be verified. He said, “If former President Obasanjo has chosen to take a political position ahead of 2027, he should simply declare it and allow Nigerians to judge it on its merits, rather than attempting to influence public opinion through allegations that can no longer be tested because the principal witness is no longer alive.”
Atiku also questioned why Obasanjo raised the allegation only after Na’Abba’s death, saying Nigerians had been denied the chance to hear the late lawmaker’s side.
He maintained there was no judicial or official proof to support the claim, adding, “If there was indeed evidence of any criminal conduct as alleged, Nigerians are entitled to ask why no action was taken at the time by a government that wielded the full powers of the Nigerian state.”
Atiku blamed Obasanjo’s stance on his opposition to the former president’s third-term bid, saying: “Rather than surrender democratic principles on the altar of personal ambition, I defended the Constitution and successfully asserted my rights through the courts in a series of landmark legal victories against a sitting President. Those battles are now part of Nigeria’s democratic history. It is evident that the bitterness arising from that defining period has failed to leave former President Obasanjo.”
He said he would not be distracted by old political disputes while Nigerians face economic hardship, insecurity, unemployment and hunger.
“Our focus remains unwavering: offering credible alternatives, defending democracy, demanding accountability and working with all patriotic Nigerians to restore competent, transparent and people-centred leadership to our country. Nigerians deserve solutions to today’s problems, not recycled political tales from yesterday,” Atiku said.
