Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has rejected former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s allegation that he bribed the late Rt. Hon. Ghali Umar Na’Abba to impeach him, describing the claim as an attempt to rewrite history and give political advantage to Obasanjo’s preferred candidate ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku argued that the allegation was unfair because it involved a deceased person who could no longer respond.
> “As Africans, we understand the solemn duty of speaking truthfully about the dead. It is therefore deeply troubling that former President Obasanjo has chosen this moment to allege that I gave the late Rt. Hon. Ghali Umar Na’Abba a bribe to impeach him.
> “If this allegation were true, why did he never make it while Rt. Hon. Na’Abba was alive? Why wait until the only man who could confirm or refute the claim has departed this world? By invoking a deceased man as the principal witness to such a grave allegation, former President Obasanjo has denied Nigerians the opportunity of hearing the other side of the story.
> “The late Rt. Hon. Ghali Na’Abba cannot now defend his own integrity or respond to the allegation that he accepted a bribe. It is unfair to his memory and contrary to our cultural values to conscript the dead into contemporary political battles when they no longer have a voice.”
Atiku further maintained that the allegation was politically motivated and intended to damage his reputation as preparations for the 2027 elections gather momentum.
He 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 presidential candidate called on Obasanjo to openly declare his political preference instead of making claims that cannot be independently verified.
> “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 waited until after Na’Abba’s death to make the allegation, arguing that doing so denied Nigerians the opportunity to hear the late former Speaker’s side of the story.
