How I saved Tinubu’s political career – Atiku Abubakar claims

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has claimed that he played a crucial role in saving President Bola Tinubu’s political career.

In a statement through his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, Atiku responded to the belief that Tinubu had come to his aid during his conflict with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, which led to Atiku running for president under the defunct Action Congress (AC) in 2007.

Atiku, the 2023 PDP presidential candidate, stated that without his support, Tinubu’s political career might have ended with his tenure as Lagos State governor.

“Vice President Kashim Shettima goofed when he claimed that former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, benefited from President Bola Tinubu’s goodwill when he was being ‘persecuted’ in the PDP,” the statement read.

Atiku noted that it was Tinubu who benefited from his goodwill. He claimed that his support, based on pro-democracy principles and rule of law, helped stabilize Tinubu’s tenure as governor.

Atiku also addressed the misconception that the AC was Tinubu’s party, clarifying that the party emerged from a coalition involving various groups, including his associates.

“Atiku did not run under the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), but Action Congress (AC). AC came out of a coalition of ACD (Advance Congress of Democrats), formed by mainly PDM members and other associates and Tinubu’s faction of AD,” he explained.