The Peoples Democratic Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, stated on Sunday that, contrary to popular belief, President Bola Tinubu profited much from his goodwill.
But, according to Atiku, Tinubu’s political career might have ended while he was governor of Lagos State in the early years of the Fourth Republic.
Vice President Kashim Shettima remarked on Thursday that Atiku and National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu had previously benefitted from Tinubu’s political backing during their persecution.
Shettima particularly stated that Tinubu’s home in Bourdillon, Ikoyi, Lagos, acted as a haven for Atiku when he was harassed and expelled from the PDP.
Shettima made the statement at the opening of the Federal Capital Territory Administration’s Vice Presidential Lodge in Abuja.
In a statement issued on Sunday by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, Atiku said Shettima “goofed,” adding that “truth be told, it was Tinubu who actually benefited immensely from Atiku’s goodwill.”
The former vice president added that without his backing, Tinubu would not have enjoyed his stint as Lagos State governor and may have been impeached.
He said:
“But for Atiku’s support, hinged on his pro-democracy instincts and the rule of law, Tinubu’s tenure as governor of Lagos State 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 Fourth 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.”
Also Read:
Minimum wage: President, NASS to determine our next action — Organised Labour
Akure’s raid: EFCC denies deploying brutal force
Banditry: Over 14,000 persons in IDPs camps in Niger – Agency
cc: Punch Ng
