Muslim-Muslim Ticket: Tinubu Attacks Atiku, Says He Can’t Be Trusted

Presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC has hit back at his counterpart in the People’s Democratic Party, PDP Atiku Abubakar after the latter said the former Lagos state government has always wanted a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket.

Atiku, a former vice president said on Friday during an interview with Arise TV that he once turned Tinubu down when he offered to be his vice-presidential candidate.

The duo has a long history together dating back to when Atiku fell out with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who refused to support the Adamawa born politician as his successor.

Atiku would later emerge the presidential candidate of the Action Congress, AC the party he former with Tinubu in 2011.

Speaking during his interview with Arise, Atiku alleged that Tinubu wanted to be his running mate, saying he rejected the move on the basis that Nigerians will reject a muslim-Muslim ticket. The two politicians are Muslims.

Reacting to Atiku’s claim in a statement, Tinubu said the former vice president lied.

The APC candidate said in a statement signed by Tunde Rahman, his media aide, said Atiku wanted him to be his running mate by offering him the ticket, adding that the former vice president is a shady character that cannot be trusted.

Tinubu said, “We are saddened to see such a man become unhinged from the truth. So obsessed is he with his quest for office, Atiku is willing to render any form of untruth if he thinks it might gain him a single vote. Atiku may want to be president. However, all he has shown is that he is pathological,” Tinubu was quoted as saying.

Presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has hit back at his counterpart  of  the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,  Atiku Abubakar after the latter said the former Lagos State Governor always wanted a Muslim-Muslim Presidential ticket.

Atiku, a former Vice President, said on Friday during an interview with Arise TV that he  turned Tinubu down when he demanded  to be his Vice Presidential candidate in 2007.

The duo has had a long history of working together dating back to when Atiku fell out with former President Olusegun Obasanjo when he was the Vice President.

Atiku would later emerge the Presidential candidate of the Action Congress, AC, the party he co-founded with Tinubu in 2011.

Speaking during his interview with Arise, Atiku alleged that Tinubu demanded to be his running mate, but that  he rejected the move on the basis that Nigerians will reject a Muslim-Muslim ticket. The two politicians are Muslims.

But reacting to Atiku’s claim in a statement, Tinubu said the former Vice President lied.

The APC candidate said in a statement signed by Tunde Rahman, his media aide, that it was Atiku who wanted him to be his running mate by offering him the ticket, adding that the former Vice President is a shady character who cannot be trusted.

Tinubu said, “We are saddened to see such a man become unhinged from the truth. So obsessed is he with his quest for office, Atiku is willing to render any form of untruth if he thinks it might gain him a single vote. Atiku may want to be President. However, all he has shown is that he is a pathological liar.

“Whatever moral compass he had has been lost. During a 22 July television interview, Atiku assaulted historic truth by lying that he did not name Tinubu as his running mate in 2007 on the Action Congress ticket because Atiku did not want a Muslim as his running mate.

“It was the actual founders of the AC who offered the party’s flag to Atiku because of the need to fight the authoritarian designs then President Obasanjo and the PDP had on Nigeria’s democracy.

“At that moment, Atiku had been unceremoniously pushed aside, if not out of the PDP by Obasanjo. We needed to rally all forces to confront the one-party state Obasanjo had in mind. Atiku was simply a beneficiary of this collective duty to fight the attack on multi-party democracy the PDP had launched.

“I feel sorry for dear old Atiku. Love of his own ambition has eclipsed his relationship with the truth and an honest account of the past. We formed the AC without his knowledge. When President Obasanjo virtually exiled him from the PDP, we lent him our support by giving him the AC platform for the 2007 election.

“Let me say openly that Atiku offered me the Vice Presidential ticket in 2007. Let me also say that my religion has not changed. When he offered the position to me, I was a Muslim and I believe he was aware of my religious faith at the time.

“Atiku’s calculations and deceit had nothing to do with religion or his sensitivity to it. His conduct has everything to do with what we discovered about his paucity of character and love of intrigue.”