Atiku denies betraying Tinubu

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Nigeria’s former vice president and presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2023 general elections has said he never betrayed President Tinubu despite their ongoing political differences.

Atiku Abubakar stated this while addressing newsmen in Abuja on Thursday.

According to the PDPs presidential candidate, the claims that he betrayed President Bola Tinubu during their political alliance in 2007 was false.

Atiku said rather than betraying the president, he stood up to his then-principal, President Olusegun Obasanjo, and ensured that Lagos state did not succumb to the 2003 political tsunami, according to the Nation.

Recall that Atiku was the Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate in the 2023 presidential election.

He said: “Those of you who are old enough will also remember that in 2003, the PDP took over all the southwestern states, with the exception of Lagos.

“I stood between Obasanjo and himself (Tinubu) and I said no, you (Obasanjo) can’t take over Lagos. Leave it and he (Obasanjo) left it. So, who is indebted to whom? Is it me or Bola Ahmed Tinubu? I vehemently deny that I stabbed Tinubu in the back. There are other things which I will not want to go into.”

In lieu of this, Alhaji Atiku claimed to have parted ways with President Tinubu politically since after the former Lagos state governor wanted to be his running mate in 2007.

This was as the PDP candidate debunked claims that he betrayed Tinubu by requesting the president’s academic records from Chicago State University.

He said: “I beg to disagree (on betrayal allegation) with Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Yes, it is true that in 2007 we came together to form an alliance in Lagos, and at the convention, I contested and got the ticket. After I got the ticket, he sent about 5 or 6 seniors – some of them are here – I can even name them but I don’t want to embarrass them.

“They met me and said to me that Bola wanted to be my running mate. I said to them, gentlemen, you’re all old enough, and apparently, virtually all of you are Christians’ with the exception of one person. What will be your reaction to having a Muslim-Muslim ticket?

“All of them said we totally objected to it and I said why didn’t you tell him when he was giving you the message that look Mr Tinubu, the message you’re sending us, we don’t seem to agree with you on it (Muslim-Muslim ticket). Why are you coming then to me? And that was the end of our political relationship. We broke away, so what is the ground for him to say that I betrayed him?

“Till today, I won’t do a Muslim-Muslim ticket; I don’t have to be president; we are a multi-ethnic and multi-religious people, and our government must reflect our diversity, and our composition must reflect the same.”

The Chicago State University had released the academic records of the President on Monday as the institution’s Registrar, Carl Westberg, also carried out a deposition of the documents on Tuesday, in compliance with the ruling of Magistrate Jeffrey Gilbert.

Gilbert approved Atiku’s request for Tinubu’s academic records on September 19, but the President filed a review of the ruling.