• Says ex-leader has no electoral value, Arewa made him president
Chuks Okocha in Abuja
Presidential candidate of African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, has disclosed how he saved former President Olusegun Obasanjo in prison, saying he leaked information about an injection that could have killed him.
Atiku said they did the same thing to the late General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, stressing that when he learnt about the plan, he warned Obasanjo not to allow the injection.
Atiku made the disclosure while speaking with journalists, amid his renewed war of words with Obasanjo over their political relationship and their respective roles in the former president’s emergence in 1999.
The former vice president stated, “I saved Obasanjo’s life in prison by leaking information about an impending injection that could have killed him.
“They did the same to Yar’Adua, and when I learnt they planned to do it to him, I warned him not to allow the injection. Today, he wants the world to hate me because I opposed his third-term ambition.”
He dismissed Obasanjo’s electoral strength, saying he could not win his own state or the South-west during the 1999 presidential election.
Atiku stated, “In 1999, he could not even win his own state or the South-west; it was Arewa that made him President. He possesses no electoral value.”
Atiku, who rejected Obasanjo’s account, accused him of rewriting history and attempting to use the past for political advantage ahead of the 2027 elections.
He also defended his role in their administration, saying he supported Obasanjo after his release from prison and helped build the political structure that facilitated their victory in 1999.
Speaking further on the 2027 election, Atiku highlighted his record of creating opportunities for young Nigerians during his tenure as vice president.
He said some of those who benefited from such opportunities had gone on to become governors, ministers, directors, and other public officeholders.
Atiku promised that, if elected president in 2027, his administration would continue to create opportunities for young Nigerians to serve and take up leadership positions.