Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has shared how he played a crucial role in saving President Bola Tinubu’s political career.
Atiku mentioned that despite the common belief that Tinubu had rescued him during his dispute with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, it was actually him who had stepped in to support Tinubu when he needed it the most.
According to Atiku, without his assistance, Tinubu may have never progressed beyond the position of Governor of Lagos State.
Atiku also clarified that his nomination as the presidential candidate for the defunct Action Congress in 2007 was not due to Tinubu’s influence, but rather through the support of delegates from all states.
He even listed the delegates who were instrumental in his nomination, including himself, Lawal Keita, Amb. Yahaya Kwande, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, Alexis Anielo, and Titi Ajanaku, among others.
In a statement through his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, the former Vice President 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.
“For some time, and especially leading up to the 2023 election, there has been a deliberate attempt to distort the history of the politics of the early 4th Republic by ascribing the AC, the political platform that Atiku ran in 2007 as Tinubu’s party.
“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.”
