“Declare Your Candidate” – Atiku Lambasts Obasanjo

*…Dismisses Late Na’Abba Bribery Claim*

Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress, ADC, Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has dismissed allegations by former President Olusegun Obasanjo that he bribed the late Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Ghali Umar Na’Abba, to impeach him.

In a statement issued on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the claims as reckless, unfair, and politically motivated ahead of the 2027 general election.

Atiku said it was troubling that Obasanjo chose to make the allegation now, when Na’Abba is no longer alive to 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,” the statement read.

“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.”

*”An Attempt to Boost a Preferred Candidate”*

Atiku said the timing of the allegation, as political permutations for 2027 take shape, showed its true intent.

“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,” he said.

“Nigerians, however, know better. They are too discerning to be distracted by stale allegations resurrected for political convenience.”

The ADC leader urged Obasanjo to declare his political preference openly instead of relying on unverifiable claims.

“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 said.

He maintained that the allegation was not only an attack on his person but also an injustice to the memory of the late Speaker.