Atiku Group Tackles Obasanjo; Points At  Obasanjo’s Anger With Atiku Over Aborted Third Term

By Gideon Njoku

The Atiku Support Organisation has taken on former President Olusegun Obasanjo, over his  unprovoked attack on his former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.

Atiku is the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP against 2023.

The two, while in office, especially, in their second term, had a less than smooth relationship. Obasanjo had sworn never to forgive Atiku over whatever went wrong. He tagged his former VP “corrupt”,  even in the book that he wrote after office.

But in the run-up to the 2019 Presidential election where Atiku was, also, PDP’s Presidential candidate, Obasanjo had received Atiku in a high profile ceremony, made up with him, and supported him during that election which Atiku eventually lost to the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari.

It, therefore, came as a surprise to many when Obasanjo, at a workshop with Secondary school students, said that his choice of Atiku in 1999, as his running mate, was a mistake.

He told the students, in a story that broke on Saturday, June 25, 2022, that he made two mistakes. One, he told them. was the choice of his running mate. The second, he revealed, was not listening to the American Ambassador in Nigeria, then, who tipped him off on late Head of State, General Ssni Abacha’s decision to arrest him, warned him not to come back home, but travel to America where the US Government would offere him an asylum.

Even though Obasanjo did not mention Atiku by name, it was obvious who he was referring to. It is also obvious that it was meant to cause Atiku maximum damage in his quest to be the President of Nigeria in 2023.

Piqued by the unprovoked attack, the Atiku Support Organisation faulted Obasanjo and told him that his choice of Atiku as running mate, was a blessing to Nigeria.

In a statement on Sunday, June 26, its National Publicity Secretary, Dr. EI Mo Victor Moses, asked Obasanjo “to see his decision to work with Atiku Abubakar as his number two man as his best decision ever made in the overall interest of Nigeria, and NOT a mistake.”

Listing Atiku’s achievements as the VP, the group noted that “Without equivocation, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, the Waziri Adamawa was, without a modicum of doubt, the best Vice President Nigeria has ever had since 1960 Independence”

They gave an inkling into what the problem was and, perhaps, still is between Obasanjo and Atiku. Said the  statement:

“Nigerians are quite aware of a failed 3rd term bid of His Excellency, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, which created ripples that refused to heal almost 24 years after, but His Excellency Atiku Abubakar’s decision to stand against the 3rd term bid of Obasanjo was not personal but to protect our young democracy.”

Following is the full response to Obasanjo by the Atiku group.

The choice of Atiku Abubakar as Vice President in 1999 was a blessing to Nigeria – Atiku Support Organisation replies Chief Obasanjo

“We watched with dismay a video purportedly showing the former president of Nigeria, His Excellency, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo stating that one of his mistakes in life was his choice of number two man during the 1999 presidential elections.

“We wish to state without mincing words that former president Olusegun Obasanjo was the best president we’ve ever had as a nation since 1999.

“Similarly and without equivocation, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, the Waziri Adamawa was, without a modicum of doubt, the best vice president Nigeria has ever had since 1960 independence.

“His Excellency, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo may recall that Nigeria under Atiku Abubakar as the head of the economic council experienced its best economic growth in history.

“As of 1998, Nigeria’s economy was in the red zone growing at -2.5%. With His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar on the economic council’s driving seat, the economy experienced successive growth for 8 years in a row and peaked at 15.33% growth in 2002. The best in Nigeria since 1969. GDP per capita annual growth rose from $498 to an impressive peak level of $1,883 in 2007. Inflation was reduced from 10.0% in 1998 to 5.39% in 2007. Nigeria’s trade balance significantly increased from negative $-1.63bn to an impressive $38.88bn in 2006. Foreign direct investment increased from $0.30bn in 1998 to an impressive $6.04bn in 2007.

“In 1998, the unemployment rate stood at 3.83%. By 2007, the rate fell to 3.62%. The banking industry was almost a near-dead industry with many banks dying in freestyle mode trapping the life savings of many Nigerians. But His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, GCON with the support of his team members ensured a great banking reform leading to bank capitalization. Today, most banks are stable and the industry is worth over ₦102.6 trillion Naira as of 2020 as against ₦757 billion in 1998. Nigeria’s neck-breaking external debt as of 1998 stood at over $30bn. As the head of the economic team, Atiku Abubakar contributed immensely to ensuring debt forgiveness for Nigeria and the repayment of the balance. He contributed in no small measure to assembling the best economic management team ever assembled in the history of Nigeria.

“The privatization exercise that saw to the incredible revolution in the telecommunication sector was astonishing. Today, the telecom sector has created millions of direct and indirect jobs for Nigerians and it’s adding over ₦11 trillion to the economy every year.

“Generally, the Nigerian economy grew by 192% between 1999 to 2020. Under the economic council team headed by His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, the economy grew by 81% as against 25.9% under late president Umar Musa Yar’adua, 26.4% under ex-president Goodluck Jonathan and 1.4% under president Muhammadu Buhari.

“Therefore, we ask. How could someone with such an intimidating pedigree and best profile in economic management and development of a nation be a mistaken choice of a vice president?

“Nigerians are quite aware of a failed 3rd term bid of His Excellency, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, which created ripples that refused to heal almost 24 years after, but His Excellency Atiku Abubakar’s decision to stand against the 3rd term bid of Chief Obasanjo was not personal but to protect our young democracy.

“We call on His Excellency, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to see his decision to work with Atiku Abubakar as his number two man as the best decision ever made in the overall interest of Nigeria and NOT a mistake.

“His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar is vindicated because archival facts and figures are out there to prove that he was indeed the best vice president we have ever had since independence in 1960.”

Obasanjo, a two-term President under the PDP, quit the Party in the run-up to the 2015 election. He backed then General Muhammadu Buhari, against  the PDP incumbent President, Goodluck Jonathan. Obasanjo has since fallen out with Buhari and his administration. It is not clear who he is supporting against 2023.