Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has refuted claims made by former President Olusegun Obasanjo that he paid 5 million naira to former House Speaker Ghali Na’Abba to spark impeachment moves during their joint administration.

In a formal response issued through his aide, Phrank Shaibu, titled “The grave is not a witness box,” Atiku criticized the former president for bringing up the claims after the speaker’s passing, asking, “If this allegation were true, why did he never make it while Rt. Hon. Na’Abba was alive? Why wait until the only man who could confirm or refute the claim has departed this world?”

The former vice president asserted that “by invoking a deceased man as the principal witness to such a grave allegation, former President Obasanjo has denied Nigerians the opportunity of hearing the other side of the story,” while alleging the timing is meant to damage his public standing ahead of the upcoming 2027 general elections.

Reiterating his political track record, Atiku maintained that his disagreement with Obasanjo stemmed from opposing the third-term agenda, stating, “My offence was that I stood firmly against the unconstitutional third-term agenda. As a democrat, I chose the path of constitutionalism and the rule of law.”

He urged the former leader to openly state his political preferences rather than relying on unverified claims, adding, “Nigerians deserve solutions to today’s problems, not recycled political tales from yesterday.”