Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has alleged that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar provided N5 million to the late former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na’Abba, to initiate impeachment proceedings against him during his first term in office.
Obasanjo made the claim while responding to remarks by former Ogun State Governor Olusegun Osoba on the political events that preceded the 2003 general elections. The former president said the impeachment campaign was orchestrated from within the Presidency and accused Atiku of playing a central role.
According to Obasanjo, the plot began when he was away from the office on a Friday, giving Atiku the opportunity to meet privately with Na’Abba.
“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.
The former president further alleged that Atiku provided financial support to kick-start the impeachment process.
“On the Friday, Atiku 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 claimed.
Obasanjo said the alleged meeting and payment were documented and later brought to his attention by his Chief of Staff, whom he described as a professional intelligence officer. However, he did not provide documentary evidence to support the allegation.
Despite the impeachment threat, Obasanjo said he remained calm because he believed there were no constitutional grounds to remove him from office. He maintained that the attempt lacked legal merit and therefore did not pose a serious threat to his administration.
At the time of filing this report, Atiku Abubakar has not publicly responded to Obasanjo’s allegations.
