Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has asserted that his goodwill significantly benefited President Bola Tinubu, contradicting claims that suggest otherwise.
Atiku emphasized that without his intervention, Tinubu’s political career might have ended during his tenure as governor of Lagos State in the early Fourth Republic. This statement was in response to Vice President Kashim Shettima’s remarks. Shettima had claimed that both Atiku and National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu had previously benefited from Tinubu’s political support during their times of persecution.
Shettima highlighted that Tinubu’s residence in Bourdillon, Ikoyi, Lagos, served as a sanctuary for Atiku when he faced harassment and expulsion from the PDP, supporting him to later contest for the presidency.
“He (Tinubu) has been a veritable sanctuary for victims of political witch-hunts. When Atiku Abubakar was harassed in the Peoples Democratic Party, it was Bourdillon he ran to for support and it was in Bourdillon that he got the needed support and later contested for the presidency of this country,” Shettima stated.
However, Atiku, through a statement by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, countered Shettima’s narrative, asserting that it was Tinubu who significantly benefited from Atiku’s support. He stated that his backing, grounded in pro-democracy principles and the rule of law, was crucial for Tinubu to enjoy his tenure as Lagos State governor without facing impeachment.
Atiku also criticized attempts to distort the political history of the early Fourth Republic, particularly the portrayal of the Action Congress (AC) as Tinubu’s party. He clarified that he ran under the Action Congress, which emerged from a coalition involving the Advance Congress of Democrats (formed mainly by PDM members and other associates) and Tinubu’s faction of the Alliance for Democracy.
Atiku advised Shettima to avoid commenting on topics he is not well-versed in, emphasizing that the platform he ran on in 2007 was not solely provided by Tinubu. He highlighted that his nomination as the party’s presidential candidate was supported by delegates from all states, listing key political figures who were part of this process.
