Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has fired back at former President Olusegun Obasanjo over recent remarks against him, saying he stood by the former military ruler during his incarceration and after his release from prison, insisting that history cannot be rewritten.

Recall that Obasanjo had on Friday described his decision to pick Atiku as his running mate in the 1999 presidential election as the biggest mistake of his presidency.

Obasanjo made the remark in Lagos during a fireside conversation with veteran entertainer and activist Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, at the public presentation of Charly Boy’s foundation and memoir, 999: A Memoir in Tribute to Late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa.

However, Atiku, in a statement issued on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, described Obasanjo’s latest comments as “another failed attempt to rewrite history.”

He also defended his opposition to the controversial third-term agenda during the Obasanjo administration, saying he had no regrets for choosing constitutional democracy over personal loyalty.

“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.

“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,” Atiku said.

According to the former vice-president, the battle 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 added.

Atiku also reacted to Obasanjo’s assessment of his role in the administration they served together, saying history records that he played a significant role in the former president’s political comeback.

“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,” he 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.”

Atiku said he did not regret assisting Obasanjo despite the deterioration of their relationship.

“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, however, maintained that “gratitude should never be replaced with revisionism.”

Iweala’s praise

The former vice-president also referred to comments recently made by the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who, according to him, praised the economic management team he led.

“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.

He further expressed disappointment that, at a time when Nigeria is facing economic hardship, insecurity and unemployment, Obasanjo was “recycling old grudges instead of contributing solutions.”

“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 added that although he had exercised restraint out of respect for the former president and the office he once occupied, he would not remain silent in the face of what he described as distortions of history.

“There comes a point when 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.”

The former vice-president said his attention remained focused on Nigeria’s future.

“I have chosen the path of service over resentment, vision over vendetta and national renewal over personal recrimination.

“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,” he added. (PUNCH)

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