Nigeria: Atiku Counters Shettima, Claims Tinubu Actually Benefited From His Goodwill

10 June 2024
This Day (Lagos)
By Chuks Okocha

Abuja — Vice President Kashim Shettima goofed when he claimed that former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, benefited from President Bola Tinubu's goodwill when he was being "persecuted" in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP.)

"Truth be told, it was Tinubu that actually benefited immensely from Atiku's goodwill," the Ex-vice President countered in a statement over the weekend.

According to Atiku's media aide, Paul Ibeh, "But for Atiku's support, hinged on his pro-democracy instincts and rule of law, Tinubu's tenure as governor of Lagos 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 4th Republic by ascribing the Action Congress (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.

"Shettima needs to be reminded that Atiku did not run under the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), but Action Congress (AC). AC came out of a coalition of ACD (Advance Congress of Democrats), formed by mainly PDM members and other associates and Tinubu's faction of AD.

"Moreover, Tinubu was not in a position to lend the platform to Atiku as erroneously being suggested, as he (Atiku) was nominated by all the delegates from all the states."

According to Atiku, "The delegates to the primaries of the election that threw up the former Vice President as the party's presidential candidate included Atiku Abubakar himself, Lawal Keita, Amb. Yahaya Kwande, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, Alexis Anielo, Titi Ajanaku, former Governor Rasheed Ladoja, Chief Tom Ikimi, and Chief Dapo Sarumi.

"Others were Chief Sergeant Awuse, Alh. Lawan, Dr. Chris Ngige, Prof. Ango Abdulahi, Dr. Farouk Abdul Azeez, Chief Audu Ogbeh, Chief Ejiofor Onyia, and Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, among others.

"From the Tinubu's Alliance for Democracy were Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Chief Segun Osoba, Chief Adebayo Adefarati, and Chief Bisi Akande, among others.

"It will be appropriate for Vice President Shettima to refrain from making statements on subject matters on which he knows little or nothing about."

Read the original article on This Day.

Tagged:
Copyright © 2024 This Day. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.