Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar have reignited their long-running political feud, exchanging accusations over an alleged impeachment plot during their time in office and the controversial third-term agenda that dominated Nigeria’s political landscape in the mid-2000s.
The latest exchange followed remarks by Obasanjo during a public event where he responded to comments made by former Ogun State Governor Olusegun Osoba on the political developments leading up to the 2003 general election.
Obasanjo alleged that Atiku gave the late Ghali Umar Na’Abba, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, ₦5 million to initiate impeachment proceedings against him during his first term as president.
According to Obasanjo, the alleged payment was part of efforts to remove him from office amid political disagreements within the administration.
“Atiku gave Ghali Na’Abba ₦5 million to start my impeachment process,” Obasanjo was quoted as saying while recounting events from his presidency. The former president did not present documentary evidence to support the allegation. Reports indicate that the claim was made during reflections on political tensions within the administration before the 2003 elections.
The allegation has since drawn a sharp response from Atiku’s camp.
In a statement issued by his media office, Atiku dismissed the claim as unfounded and accused Obasanjo of remaining bitter over the collapse of the controversial third-term bid, which sought to amend the Constitution to allow the former president to seek another term in office.
The former vice-president’s camp maintained that Atiku opposed the proposed constitutional amendment on principle and rejected suggestions that he sponsored efforts to impeach Obasanjo.
Atiku’s media office described the renewed allegation as an attempt to rewrite history and urged Nigerians to focus on the country’s current challenges rather than political disputes dating back more than two decades.
The exchange revives one of Nigeria’s most enduring political rivalries. Obasanjo and Atiku served as president and vice-president between 1999 and 2007 under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but their relationship deteriorated during their second term in office amid disagreements over governance and the proposed third-term constitutional amendment.
The third-term proposal was eventually defeated by the National Assembly in 2006 following widespread opposition from lawmakers, civil society groups and sections of the political class. The controversy contributed significantly to the breakdown of the relationship between Obasanjo and Atiku, who have remained political rivals ever since.
The fresh war of words comes as political alignments continue to take shape ahead of the 2027 general election, with both elder statesmen remaining influential voices in Nigeria’s political discourse.
