Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has made a shocking revelation of how his vice, Atiku Abubakar, funded his impeachment plot with N5 million during his first term in office.
Obasanjo made the allegation in response to Olusegun Osoba, former Ogun State governor, over comments relating to the political events that led to the 2003 general elections.
Obasanjo turned his attention to the impeachment attempt against his administration, alleging that Atiku initiated the move through the then Speaker of the House of Representatives, the late Ghali Na’Abba.
According to him, Atiku invited Na’Abba to his office while he was away on a Friday and allegedly gave him 5 million naira to begin the impeachment process.
“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 alleged.
He continued, “On the Friday, he invited Na’Abba; he gave him N5 million to begin his impeachment work. It was all noted, recorded and reported to me by my Chief of Staff, a professional intelligence officer.”
Obasanjo said he treated the impeachment threat with contempt because he believed he had committed no impeachable offence.
“The game continued to be played on with me treating it with contempt as I have committed no impeachable offence except my Vice-President who wanted to take over by hook or by crook,” he said.
He added that former President Shehu Shagari later offered to intervene in the matter.
The former President further alleged that after the impeachment bid failed, Atiku pursued another arrangement involving the six AD governors in the South-West.
According to Obasanjo, Atiku wanted the governors to face no serious opposition in 2003 in return for supporting his presidential ambition in 2007.
“When he failed in the impeachment exercise, he made a two-track approach: one to go with Alex Ekwueme and Alex to hand over to him in the third year of his presidency; second is for the six AD governors of South-West not to have competition from any other party in 2003 so that in 2007, you would all yield the field to my Vice-President,” he alleged.
Obasanjo said the governors were convinced by the arrangement but failed to verify claims that he supported it.
“You were all convinced of this anti-democratic plan, and you all fell for it. I was told that I was said to be selling the idea, and if that was said of me, it was a lie,” he said.