Media Adviser to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, Paul Ibe, has dismissed allegations made by former President Olusegun Obasanjo against his former deputy, describing them as politically motivated claims that would not withstand scrutiny.
Ibe made the remarks in a statement shared on his Facebook account on Sunday, titled “Obasanjo’s campaign of lies, political manipulation and orchestrated deceit falling apart like a pack of cards.”
He was responding to claims attributed to Obasanjo that Atiku had mobilised the late former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Umar Na’Abba, to begin moves to impeach him during their time in office between 1999 and 2007.
Ibe rejected the allegation as baseless and accused the former President of repeatedly reviving claims against Atiku around election periods. He also noted that Na’Abba, who died in 2023, was no longer alive to respond directly to the allegation.
The Atiku aide instead referred to former House of Representatives member Abubakar Bawa Bwari, who served as Chief Whip during the period. According to Ibe, Bwari had disputed Obasanjo’s account, saying Na’Abba did not seek the former President’s removal and that Atiku had actually acted as an emissary to lawmakers on Obasanjo’s behalf.
Ibe also challenged accounts surrounding the 2003 presidential nomination process within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He cited former Abia State Governor Orji Kalu, who, in a video referenced by the aide, reportedly said Atiku knelt before PDP governors to ask them to support Obasanjo’s re-election.
According to Ibe’s account of Kalu’s remarks, Atiku told the governors that he did not want to betray Obasanjo, despite efforts by some PDP governors at the time to back Atiku for the presidency.
PTDF Allegations Also Revisited
The Atiku aide also revisited the controversy surrounding the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) in the run-up to the 2007 general election.
Ibe said Atiku submitted himself to an investigation into allegations surrounding the fund after temporarily relinquishing his immunity. He maintained that the allegations were politically motivated and linked them to Atiku’s opposition to Obasanjo’s reported attempt to secure a third term in office.
Ibe’s statement was issued in his capacity as Media Adviser to Atiku Abubakar, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate and former Vice-President of Nigeria.
The latest exchange adds to the growing political disagreements surrounding the 2027 election, with both historical events from the Obasanjo-Atiku administration and their differing accounts of that period being brought back into public debate.
Source: Statement by Paul Ibe, Media Adviser to Atiku Abubakar.
