‘No, you can’t take over Lagos,’ I told Obasanjo as I stood between him and himself. He told me to just leave it be.
Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president, claims President Bola Tinubu should be grateful to him since he dissuaded former President Olusegun Obasanjo from seizing control of Lagos.
From 1999 until 2007 under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which was in power, Obasanjo served as president of Nigeria. During that time, Tinubu of the now-defunct Action Congress (AC) served as governor of Lagos State.
Atiku refuted allegations that he betrayed Tinubu, as some observers had thought, while answering questions from media during the occasion.
“Those of you who are old enough will also recall that, with the exception of Lagos, the PDP seized power in 2003 in all of the South-Western states. I told Obasanjo, standing between him and himself, “No, you can’t rule Lagos. He said, “Leave it and he left it. “There are more things, but I won’t get into them. But I absolutely refute the accusation that I stabbed him.
In “He Broke Away,”
The former governor of Lagos wanted to be his running mate in the 2007 election, but Atiku opposed because they share the same religion. He recalled their friendship.
“Yes, that’s correct. We joined forces in 2007 to become AC. I won the contest and received the ticket in Lagos at the convention. He sent approximately five or six party workers after I received the ticket; some of them are now here. I could even identify them, but I don’t want to make them feel bad,” the PDP’s 2023 presidential contender added.
“They came and told me Bola wanted to be my running buddy, they claimed. “Gentlemen, you are all old enough and, with the exception of one, almost all of you are Christians,” I remarked. What would you think if you were given a Muslim-Muslim ticket? They all agreed, saying, “We completely oppose it.” Then, I questioned, “Why didn’t you inform Mr. Tinubu that we don’t appear to agree with the message you are sending? Why are you now visiting me?
“And the political partnership came to an end at that point. He split up and went to help Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. What basis does he have to accuse me of betraying him, then?
