I Fed, Clothed Him When He Had Nothing, Atiku Says as He Recounts Role in Obasanjo’s Freedom

By Eshioromeh Sebastian

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has opened up on the role he played in former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s personal and political journey, recounting how he supported Obasanjo during his imprisonment and helped facilitate his return to power.

This is even as he described the former president’s recent attacks against him as renewed reactions rooted in bitterness over his failed third-term ambition.

Atiku’s latest outburst comes in response to comments made by Obasanjo on Friday in Lagos during a fireside conversation with veteran entertainer and activist Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy.

Obasanjo had described his decision to pick Atiku as his running mate in the 1999 presidential election as the biggest mistake of his political career.

“I would say the greatest mistake I made was picking Atiku Abubakar as my vice president in 1999,” Obasanjo said.

Pressed further on the issue by Charlyboy, the former President responded, “The man I picked as my running mate, my number two. If I had known him as I came to know him later, I would not have picked him.”

When Charly Boy sought clarification on whether he was referring to Atiku, Obasanjo replied, “My vice president. I don’t know what name you want to give him, but my vice president, I mean that.”

The former President, however, insisted he harboured no personal bitterness despite their turbulent relationship.

“There is no bitterness in me over what happened. Despite everything, I was able to achieve what I set out to achieve while in power,” Obasanjo said.

However, in a statement issued on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described Obasanjo’s latest public outburst as “another failed attempt to rewrite history” and said he watched the former president’s interview with “profound sadness, not anger” because it reflected the disposition of a man who has allowed personal resentment to cloud historical truth.

“History records that while Chief Obasanjo was in prison, I stood firmly by him. I supported his family, worked tirelessly with other patriots for his release and never wavered in my belief that he deserved his freedom,” Atiku said.

“When he eventually regained his freedom, he had little to his name. I received him, clothed him, ensured he was properly cared for and extended every support necessary to help him regain his footing. Beyond that, I mobilised political structures, built alliances and made enormous personal and political sacrifices that culminated in his emergence as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he added.

“Do I regret helping Chief Obasanjo? Absolutely not. When God gives you the opportunity to lift another human being, you do so without expecting repayment. Acts of kindness are matters of conscience, not commercial transactions,” he said.

He added, however, that gratitude should never be replaced with revisionism.

“If the true history of Chief Obasanjo’s political journey is ever written—free from selective recollection and personal bitterness—Atiku Abubakar will feature prominently as one of those whom God used to change the course of his life and political career,” Atiku stated.

Atiku: Third-Term Stand Is Source of Hostility

The former vice president traced the genesis of Obasanjo’s hostility towards him to his refusal to support an unconstitutional third-term bid during the Obasanjo administration.

“I am proud that I stood against the third-term agenda. I am proud that I stood by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I have no apology whatsoever for frustrating every attempt to subvert our democracy for personal ambition,” he declared.

“If Chief Obasanjo’s bitterness stems from my refusal to support an unconstitutional third term, then I wear that resentment as a badge of honour. No individual, regardless of his status or accomplishments, is bigger than the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Constitution is supreme, and I chose Nigeria over personal loyalty,” he added.

Atiku noted that the struggle against the third-term agenda was never about two individuals but about preserving Nigeria’s constitutional democracy for future generations.

“The Nigerian people won that battle. Democracy won that battle. History has already delivered its verdict,” he saTribu

Atiku Cites Okonjo-Iweala’s Tribute

The former vice president also referenced comments recently made by the Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who, according to him, praised the economic management team he led, describing it as “the best Nigeria has ever had.”

“Whether or not the timing is merely coincidental is for Nigerians to judge. What is beyond dispute, however, is that while distinguished Nigerians who served at the highest levels continue to acknowledge my contributions to one of Nigeria’s most successful periods of economic management, Chief Obasanjo appears determined to diminish them,” Atiku said.

Calls for Focus on Nigeria’s Challenges

Atiku expressed disappointment that, at a time when Nigeria is battling economic hardship, mass unemployment, insecurity and widespread despair, a former president would devote so much energy to recycling old grudges instead of contributing solutions to the country’s challenges.

“The 2027 election should be about rebuilding Nigeria, restoring security, reviving the economy and giving hope to the next generation—not reopening old political wounds,” he said.

Atiku said he had deliberately maintained restraint over the years out of respect for the office Obasanjo once occupied and in deference to the relationship they once shared, but warned that “silence in the face of repeated distortions of history ceases to be a virtue.”

“Chief Obasanjo is entitled to his opinions. He is entitled to his personal grievances. What he is not entitled to are his own facts,” Atiku said.

He reaffirmed that his attention remains firmly fixed on Nigeria’s future.

“I have chosen the path of service over resentment, vision over vendetta and national renewal over personal recrimination. Those who mistake my civility for capitulation, or my restraint for weakness, make a grave mistake.

“History is stubborn. It cannot be rewritten by bitterness, nor erased by repeated falsehoods. In the end, history will render its verdict—and so will the Nigerian people.”