Atiku Rebuts Obasanjo Over Impeachment Bribery Allegation, Says ‘The Grave Is Not a Witness Box’
By Atlantic Digest National Desk | Friday 24 July, 2026
Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has strongly rejected allegations by former President Olusegun Obasanjo that he bribed the late former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Ghali Umar Na’Abba, to support moves to impeach him while he was in office.
In a statement titled “The Grave Is Not a Witness Box,” issued on Friday through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the allegation as an attempt to rewrite history and influence political opinion ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Atiku argued that it was unfair to make such a serious allegation against a deceased individual who could no longer defend himself or respond to the claims.
He questioned why Obasanjo had not publicly made the accusation while Ghali Na’Abba was alive, saying Nigerians had now been denied the opportunity of hearing both sides of the story.
The former Vice President further noted that the allegation had never been established by any court or official investigation, arguing that if credible evidence of criminal conduct had existed during the Obasanjo administration, the government possessed the constitutional powers to investigate and prosecute the matter at the time.
Atiku also linked the renewed accusations to the emerging political contest ahead of the 2027 general elections, alleging that the timing suggested an effort to damage his reputation while conferring political advantage on what he described as Obasanjo’s preferred candidate.
He maintained that the roots of the disagreement between both men dated back to his opposition to the controversial third-term agenda, insisting he chose to defend constitutional democracy and successfully challenged aspects of the administration through landmark court cases.
Rather than revisit political disputes from more than two decades ago, Atiku said national attention should focus on Nigeria’s current challenges, including rising inflation, insecurity, unemployment, increasing public debt and concerns over public financial management.
He added that while former President Obasanjo remained entitled to support any candidate of his choice in the 2027 election, such support should be declared openly rather than, in his view, being advanced through what he described as recycled allegations.
The exchange marks the latest escalation in the increasingly heated political rhetoric ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections. The allegations and counter-allegations remain matters of political dispute, and no court has established criminal liability in relation to the claims raised by either side.
