Atiku Accused of Financing Impeachment Plot with ₦5 Million, Says Obasanjo
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has alleged that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar financed an impeachment move against him during his first term in office by providing ₦5 million to kick-start the process.
Obasanjo made the allegation in a detailed response to comments by former Ogun State Governor Olusegun Osoba regarding political events leading up to the 2003 general elections. In his statement, the former president dismissed claims that he misled political leaders during the period, insisting that he had always acted transparently and honestly.
According to Obasanjo, the alleged impeachment effort was initiated while he was away from the Presidential Villa. He claimed that Atiku invited the then Speaker of the House of Representatives, the late Ghali Na’Abba, to a meeting where he allegedly encouraged him to commence impeachment proceedings. Obasanjo further alleged that ₦5 million was handed over to support the exercise, adding that the incident was reported to him by his Chief of Staff at the time.
The former president maintained that he never considered the impeachment threat a serious concern because, according to him, he had not committed any offence that would justify removal from office. He further claimed that the alleged plot formed part of a broader political strategy aimed at preventing him from completing a second term in office.
Obasanjo also alleged that after the impeachment effort failed, alternative political arrangements were pursued ahead of the 2003 elections, including attempts to build alliances that would strengthen Atiku’s future presidential ambition. He insisted that he neither endorsed nor participated in any such arrangement and described suggestions to the contrary as false.
The claims have generated renewed public interest in the long-standing political differences between the two former leaders. As of the time of reporting, Atiku Abubakar had not publicly responded to Obasanjo’s latest allegations.