The Media Adviser to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, Paul Ibe, has dismissed fresh allegations by former President Olusegun Obasanjo against his former deputy, saying the claims will not withstand scrutiny.
Ibe made the assertion in a statement published on Sunday, August 9, 2026, in response to Obasanjo’s recent claims about an alleged impeachment plot during their administration between 1999 and 2007.
Obasanjo had alleged that Atiku mobilised the late former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Umar Na’Abba, to initiate moves to impeach him while he was president.
According to Obasanjo, Atiku allegedly invited Na’Abba to his office and gave him N5 million to begin impeachment proceedings. The former president said the development was reported to him by his then Chief of Staff.
Atiku has rejected the allegation, describing it as a politically motivated attempt to damage his reputation ahead of the 2027 presidential election. In a July statement issued through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the allegation could no longer be properly tested because Na’Abba, who died in 2023, was no longer alive to respond.
Reacting to the controversy, Ibe described Obasanjo’s claims as part of what he called a recurring pattern of allegations against Atiku during election periods.
He also cited former member of the House of Representatives, Abubakar Bawa Bwari, who served as Chief Whip during the period, as disputing Obasanjo’s account. According to Ibe, Bwari had said Na’Abba did not seek Obasanjo’s removal and that Atiku had instead acted as an emissary to lawmakers on behalf of the former president.
Ibe further referenced former Abia State Governor Orji Kalu in disputing aspects of the political history surrounding the 2003 presidential nomination process. He said Kalu had recounted that Atiku sought support from PDP governors for Obasanjo’s re-election despite pressure from some governors who wanted Atiku to run for president.
The aide also revisited the controversy surrounding the Petroleum Technology Development Fund, PTDF, which featured prominently in the political disputes between Obasanjo and Atiku before the 2007 elections.
Ibe maintained that Atiku had submitted himself to investigation over allegations relating to the fund after temporarily relinquishing his immunity. He argued that the controversy was politically motivated because of Atiku’s opposition to Obasanjo’s reported bid to extend his tenure beyond the constitutionally permitted two terms.
The latest exchange is part of a renewed public dispute between the two former leaders as political activities ahead of the 2027 presidential election intensify.
Obasanjo recently described his decision to choose Atiku as his running mate in the 1999 presidential election as the biggest mistake of his presidency. Atiku, who is now the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, said the former president’s comments would not affect his chances in the 2027 election.
Through Ibe, Atiku has maintained that the election will ultimately be decided by Nigerian voters and accused Obasanjo of attempting to influence public opinion through old allegations.
The allegations and counterclaims remain part of the broader political dispute between the former president and his former deputy, with neither side offering independent evidence in the latest exchange that conclusively establishes the competing accounts.
