Former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, has revealed how his support was instrumental in saving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s political career.
He also revealed that that without his help, Tinubu’s political journey would have ended with his tenure as Lagos State Governor.
Atiku made this statement in response to the common perception that President Tinubu had helped him in the past, particularly during his fallout with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, which led to Atiku running for president on the Action Congress (AC) ticket in 2007.
In a statement through Mr Paul Ibe, his Media Adviser said, “Vice President Kashim Shettima goofed when he claimed that former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar benefited from President Bola Tinubu’s goodwill when he was being “persecuted” in the PDP.
“Truth be told, it was Tinubu that actually 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 termination of his political career.”
Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Candidate in the last election, clarified the historical context, stating that there has been a deliberate effort to distort the facts about the early 4th Republic’s political history, specifically attempting to portray the Action Congress (AC) as President Tinubu’s party, when in fact, it was the platform he (Atiku) used to run for president in 2007.
“Nothing can be further from the truth. Vice President 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 him President Tinubu was not in a position to lend the platform to Atiku “as erroneously being suggested, as he (Atiku) was nominated by all the delegates from all the states.”
