Atiku Reopens Political Time Capsule, Accuses Obasanjo of 20-Year Campaign of “Lies and Deceit”

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has reopened one of Nigeria’s most enduring political quarrels, accusing former President Olusegun Obasanjo of maintaining a more-than-two-decade campaign of “lies, political manipulation and orchestrated deceit” against him. In a statement issued through his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, Atiku’s camp argued that Obasanjo’s latest claims about the late Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na’Abba, represent another attempt to rewrite the complicated history of their 1999–2007 administration.

The latest exchange comes as Atiku prepares for another presidential contest, having emerged as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate for the 2027 election. His emergence has already placed him at the centre of a developing opposition contest, making every historical political quarrel involving the former vice president potentially relevant to the campaign ahead.

Atiku Rejects Obasanjo’s Claim Over Na’Abba and House Leadership

According to Atiku’s camp, Obasanjo recently alleged that Atiku mobilised Na’Abba and lawmakers to remove him from office during their administration. Ibe rejected the claim as baseless and questioned the decision to invoke the name of Na’Abba, who died in 2023, in a dispute over events that occurred more than two decades ago.

The Atiku camp cited former lawmaker Abubakar Bwari, who served as Chief Whip during the period, as contradicting Obasanjo’s version of events. It also invoked former Abia State governor Orji Uzor Kalu’s account of the 2003 political negotiations, arguing that the former governor’s recollection portrayed Atiku as someone who supported Obasanjo’s re-election rather than plotting his political downfall. In the satirical courtroom of Nigerian political memory, therefore, old witnesses are being summoned, old speeches dusted off and historical receipts apparently being retrieved from storage.

PTDF, Political Betrayal and the Return of the Old Files

The dispute has also dragged the controversial Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) affair back into public conversation. Atiku’s camp recalled how allegations concerning PTDF funds became a major flashpoint between the two men before the 2007 election, when Atiku denied wrongdoing and argued that the accusations were politically motivated, particularly amid his opposition to Obasanjo’s controversial third-term ambition.

Ibe further relied on accounts attributed to the late Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, concerning businessman Mike Adenuga, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the events surrounding the PTDF investigation. The argument advanced by Atiku’s camp is that the historical record contains enough competing accounts to challenge the version of events being presented by Obasanjo’s side. The political irony is difficult to miss: nearly 20 years after their partnership collapsed, the two camps are still debating who betrayed whom, who told what story and which version of history deserves the final whistle.

Atiku and Obasanjo were once political allies, with Obasanjo selecting Atiku as his running mate in 1999. Their administration won re-election in 2003, but their relationship deteriorated amid disputes over succession, corruption allegations and Obasanjo’s third-term ambitions. Atiku eventually contested the 2007 presidential election under the Action Congress after leaving the PDP.

The latest confrontation therefore arrives at an unusually sensitive moment. Atiku is no longer simply defending a historical reputation; he is preparing to lead the ADC into the 2027 presidential contest. The ADC has formally positioned him as its presidential candidate, giving old political disputes a new electoral context.

For now, Atiku’s camp insists that Obasanjo’s allegations are collapsing “like a pack of cards,” while the broader political establishment watches to see whether the former president will respond with another chapter from the increasingly familiar archive of their political relationship. One thing appears certain: the Obasanjo-Atiku political file has refused to remain closed, and OGM News NG will continue to watch for the next revelation, rebuttal or historical receipt.The report above treats the supplied allegations as claims made by Atiku’s camp; the background research was used to establish the broader political context and Atiku’s current 2027 position.