Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo of sustaining what he described as a 20-year campaign of lies, political manipulation and orchestrated deceit against him.

Atiku made the allegation through his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, while reacting to Obasanjo’s recent claim that the former vice president mobilised the late Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na’Abba, to remove him from office during their administration from 1999 to 2007.

Obasanjo reportedly made the claim on July 23, reviving one of the longstanding disputes surrounding his relationship with Atiku.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday, Ibe described the allegation as part of an alleged pattern by Obasanjo of reviving claims of betrayal and corruption against Atiku, particularly as political activities intensify ahead of elections.

“This time, he chose to make a man who passed away nearly three years ago the subject of his baseless allegation,” Ibe said, referring to Na’Abba, who died in 2023.

The Atiku camp cited former member of the House of Representatives, Abubakar Bwari, who served as Chief Whip during the 1999–2007 legislative sessions, as disputing Obasanjo’s account.

According to Bwari, Na’Abba never attempted to remove Obasanjo from office. He said Atiku, rather, acted as an emissary to lawmakers on behalf of the former president.

Ibe also challenged claims concerning the relationship between Obasanjo and Atiku ahead of the 2003 presidential election.

He cited a video in which former Abia State governor and then PDP governor, Orji Uzor Kalu, said Atiku appealed to PDP governors to support Obasanjo’s re-election.

Kalu was quoted as saying that Atiku knelt before the governors and told them he did not want to betray Obasanjo, who had trusted him to serve as vice president.

Ibe argued that Kalu’s account contradicted claims allegedly promoted by Obasanjo’s associates that the former president had to seek Atiku’s support by kneeling before him.

The statement also revisited the controversy surrounding the investigation of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund shortly before the 2007 presidential election.

Obasanjo had asked the Senate to investigate alleged financial impropriety involving the PTDF. Atiku denied any wrongdoing and submitted himself for investigation, maintaining that the funds in question were held in fixed deposit accounts.

Atiku subsequently alleged that the investigation was politically motivated and connected to his opposition to Obasanjo’s controversial bid for a third term.

To support his position, Ibe referred to the autobiography of the late Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, titled Awujale.

According to Ibe, the book contained an account of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s investigation of Globacom Chairman, Mike Adenuga, during the period.

The statement quoted Oba Adetona as saying EFCC officials visited Adenuga’s Lagos residence in July 2006 in connection with an investigation involving funds allegedly linked to the PTDF.

Ibe alleged that the investigation was aimed at establishing a link between Adenuga and Atiku over the PTDF controversy.

He also rejected allegations that Adenuga used PTDF funds to finance Globacom’s operating licence, saying the businessman obtained financing from BNP Paribas Bank for the transaction.

The statement further cited Oba Adetona’s account of Adenuga’s subsequent interactions with Obasanjo, including an alleged request by the former president for Adenuga’s assistance with the construction of an administrative block at Bells University, founded by Obasanjo.

According to the account, Adenuga agreed to the request, while Cachez Turnkey Projects Ltd handled the project.

The latest exchange is the latest chapter in the longstanding political dispute between Obasanjo and Atiku, whose relationship deteriorated during their second term in office.

The two men had been political allies before the 1999 presidential election, when Obasanjo emerged as the Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate and selected Atiku as his running mate.

They won re-election in 2003, but their relationship later became strained over political succession, corruption allegations and Obasanjo’s third term bid.

Atiku eventually left the PDP and contested the 2007 presidential election on the platform of the Action Congress.

He has remained a prominent opposition figure and is currently the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress for the 2027 presidential election.

Obasanjo has yet to publicly respond to the latest allegations. His Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, said “No comment” when contacted.