* Says Nigeria is bigger than everyone
* As he rallies Obi, Kwankwaso, traditional, religious rulers, Nigerians to stand for justice
* Acknowledges tenacity of David Hundeyin’s exceptional investigative journalism
*Says Tinubu can’t be right to say he betrayed him after 2007
*Tinubu left me as AC presidential candidate and went to support PDP’s Umaru Yar’Adua, Atiku clears issues
*Reveals not by ex-gov’s might PDP retained Lagos for AD in 2003
By OUR REPORTER, Abuja
Per adventure as some senior officials in government and ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) namely the Minister of Aviation Festus Keyamo (SAN), Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Yusuf Tuggar, National Publicity Director of APC, Mr. Bala Ibrahim, and a campaign aide Babatunde Ogala took up the defence of their principal from supporters on social media with contradicting publications in the public on the academic records received from Chicago State University, the camp of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rolled out the truth about the documents on Thursday.
This was what the former Vice President, Dr. Atiku Abubakar, did with the world press conference that he addressed in Abuja, the Nigeria’s capital telling his listeners across local and international media organisations that his going to the extent of United States of America to dig the truth about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s certificate claim is not personal to him but to Nigeria and Nigeria.
Dr. Abubakar called on the presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, that of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and all Nigerians who love their country to join his quest for “justice” in the certificate saga.
Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s presidential candidate in the February 25, 2023 election, had requested the release of President Tinubu’s certificate from the Chicago State University over the suspicion that the certificate the former Lagos State governor submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) may not be authentic.
While the school had released the certificate to Atiku’s team, the former vice president who is challenging Tinubu’s election in court, called on Obi, Kwankwaso and other Nigerians to join his quest for “justice” over the matter.
“This quest is not for or about Atiku Abubakar. It is a quest for the enthronement of truth, morality, and accountability in our public affairs. In line with this, therefore, I am calling on all well-meaning Nigerians, leaders of thought, our religious leaders, our traditional leaders, our community leaders, our political leaders, and in particular, Governor Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of the NNPP and, the leaders of every political party in Nigeria, and, indeed, every single person who loves this country, as I do, and who wishes nothing but the best for the country, as I do, to join me in this campaign to enshrine probity, accountability and the basic principles of justice, morality and uprightness in our country and in our government,” he said during the world press conference in Abuja on Thursday.
He added that, “This is a task for each and every one of us.”
While answering questions asked by local and international journalists at the event, the former Vice President gave some clarifications about claims by Tinubu that, despite giving him a platform to contest for president in 2007 he still went ahead embarrass him internationally, and on whether or not there were pressures on him to step down and how he is not scared that Tinubu could use the powers of the presidency to affect the fate of his business.
Atiku made it crystal clear in his response to the questions that Bola Ahmed Tinubu was never a benefactor of any sort to him neither did he stab him at the back by his action seeking the truth about his certificate claim. He said he is not afraid of any business being taken from him because he, as a manufacturer among others, does not do any business that is of government.
Although Tinubu and his supporters have repeatedly denied the accusations of forged certificate, Atiku said he would continue to seek justice over the matter until the Supreme Court decides, saying Nigeria is bigger than everyone.
“Political leadership and active citizenship matter because they are ways through which we all work together to build a country that works for all who live in it. Our country is bigger than any of us, and its standing in the world affects the fate of all who come from or live in it. As leaders, it is our duty to advance the well-being of all our people and of the country,” he said.
Read details of the questions and answers section of the world press conference below:
AFRICAN REPORTS, an international media platform: One of the aides of Bola Tinubu said in 2007 Tinubu gave you a platform to contest for president of Nigeria but that you have now gone to international scene to embarrass him. Don’t you fear that the relationship will be destroyed permanently?
Dr. Atiku Abubakar: Well, I beg to disagree with Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Yes, it is true in 2007 we came together to form AC (Action Congress) and in Lagos at the convention I emerged as the winner and got the ticket. After I got the ticket he sent about five or six senior and some of them are here. I can even name them but I don’t want embarrass them.
And they met me and said to me that Bola wanted to be my running mate. I said, ‘Gentlemen, you are all old enough and apparently virtually all of you are Christians with the exception of only one person. What would be your reaction to have a Muslim-Muslim ticket?’
All of them said, ‘We totally object to that.’ Then I said, ‘Why didn’t you tell him when he was giving the message that look, Mr. Tinubu the message you are giving to us we don’t seem to agree with you’? Why are you coming then to me?
And that was the end of the political relationship. He (Tinubu) broke away, went and supported Umaru Yar’Adua. So, where is the ground for him to say that I betrayed him?
Not by Tinubu’s might PDP retained Lagos in 2003
But those of you who are old enough would also remember that in 2003 the PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) took over all the South Western states with the exception of Lagos.
I stood between Obasanjo and himself. I said ‘No you can’t take over Lagos. Leave it’ and he left it. So who is indebted to the other. Is it me or Bola Ahmed Tinubu?
There are other things which I would not want to go into but I vehemently deny whether I stabbed him at the back or did not do him whatever. Until today I would not do Muslim-Muslim ticket because I don’t believe it is right for this country. It is not right. Absolutely wrong! We are multi-ethnic and multi-religious and our government should reflect our diversity in our composition.
PUNCH NEWSPAPER: There has been rumours here and there that because of these revelations of forgery that some persons have reached out to you by way of trying to intervene, to put pressure on you, purportedly, from the President for you to step down on this matter. If it is true, would you step down on this matter? That is one. Secondly, you are fighting this cause, what is the fate of your business interest? Do you fear that may be, should you continue, your business interest might be threatened because of the powers from the Presidency?
Dr. Atiku Abubakar: Okay let me start from the business perspective because it is the latest in the series of questions you asked.
Yes as you must have read in several other places I was, in fact not involved, the founder of one of the biggest oil and gas logistic company since the military era. As soon as Buhari government came, even though we had licence we had got nothing to do with government, we were only contractors in logistics to the oil companies not government. But as soon as Buhari came, all those contracts were revoked and taken away from us till today. So I’m not doing any government business.
Yes I am in other businesses; agriculture, manufacturing and so on and so forth. That is as far government business is concerned.
So, I am not scared of any business being taken away from me. It has already been taken away from me since Buhari’s time. They took and distributed it among themselves.
On people reaching out to him from Tinubu
Not really. Immediately after the elections I was told that there was a delegation of governors who claimed they were sent by the President (Tinubu) but I did not even allow them to get into my house. I didn’t.
On whether he will drop the fight
I will only drop the fight when the court rules. If the court rules that I am right, fine. If the court rules that he is right, but that is the end of the fight because, at the moment we are at the Supreme Court and there is no any higher court than the Supreme Court.
