Obasanjo alleges Atiku gave Na’Abba ₦5m to impeach him

…as Presidency accuses Ex-VP of U.S. lobbying against Tinubu

By Adebola Isimijola, Lagos

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has alleged that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar provided ₦5 million to the late Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na’Abba, to finance an attempt to impeach him during his first term in office.

Obasanjo made the allegation while responding to remarks by former Ogun State Governor, Chief Olusegun Osoba, on the political developments that preceded the 2003 general elections. He claimed the impeachment plot was conceived within the Presidency and spearheaded by Atiku after a private meeting with Na’Abba.

According to the former president, Atiku persuaded the late Speaker that he should serve only one term and encouraged him to initiate impeachment proceedings against his administration.

“Na’Abba’s impeachment began at the presidency by the Vice-President, who on a Friday when I was out of the office, invited Na’Abba to his office and convinced him, as he had convinced himself and some others but of insignificant number, that I should have only one term as President,” Obasanjo said.

He further alleged that Atiku provided financial backing to kick-start the impeachment process.

“On the Friday, Atiku invited Na’Abba; he gave him ₦5 million to begin his impeachment work. It was all noted, recorded and reported to me by my Chief of Staff, a professional intelligence officer,” he claimed.

Obasanjo maintained that the alleged meeting and financial transaction were documented and brought to his attention by his Chief of Staff. He, however, said he was not unsettled by the impeachment threat because he believed there were no constitutional grounds to remove him from office.

The latest allegation came barely 24 hours after the Presidency accused the former vice president of engaging American lobbyists to petition U.S. President Donald Trump, the U.S. State Department and members of the U.S. Congress over President Bola Tinubu’s 1993 civil forfeiture case.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described the alleged lobbying as an attempt to internationalise Nigeria’s domestic politics and undermine the country’s sovereignty. He maintained that the decades-old civil forfeiture matter had been resolved and that President Tinubu’s election in 2023, as well as the Supreme Court judgment affirming his victory, had settled the issue.

Onanuga also alleged that Atiku spent about $1.2 million on American lobbyists to revive what he described as discredited allegations against the President. According to him, reporting the President of Nigeria to a foreign government was inappropriate and inconsistent with the conduct expected of a statesman, insisting that the matter had already been decided by Nigerians at the ballot box and by the courts.

The presidential spokesman further referenced the William Jefferson bribery investigation and a 2010 U.S. Senate report, urging Atiku to explain his own legal standing in the United States. He also criticised the former vice president’s role in Nigeria’s privatisation programme, alleging that public assets were sold to associates at undervalued prices, while maintaining that President Tinubu remained focused on implementing his Renewed Hope Agenda and would not be distracted by political opponents.

The exchange adds a fresh dimension to the long-running political rivalry involving Atiku, who has in recent days come under criticism from both the Presidency and his former principal. Obasanjo and Atiku served together as President and Vice President between 1999 and 2007, but their relationship deteriorated before the end of their administration and has remained strained.

As of the time of filing this report, Atiku Abubakar had not publicly responded to either Obasanjo’s allegations or the Presidency’s claims.