Muslim-Muslim ticket: Tinubu’s memory may not be what it used to be —Atiku

PRESIDENTIAL candi date of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubukar, has fired a fresh salvo on the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu. 

Tinubu had claimed in a response to Atiku’s inter- view that it was the former vice president that offered him the running mate slot in 2007, as against Atiku’s stand that it was Tinubu who asked for it. 

In a recent interview with Arise Television, Atiku said Tinubu requested to be made his running mate under the Action Congress (AC), saying that he turned down his request because it would have given rise to a single faith presidential ticket and showed lack of sensitivity to the nation’s religious configuration. 

Reacting to the claim, Tinubu accused Atiku of lying, as he said the former vice president was the one who offered him the post. 

But a statement issued on Sunday by Paul Ibe, media adviser to the PDP standardbearer, maintained that it was not a case of Tinubu tell- ing a lie but that of his memory failing him. 

“We would not say that Bola Tinubu has lied. Rather, it is our desire to give him the benefit of the doubt and believe that his memory may not be what it used to be,” it declared. 

The statement pointed that multiple sources that are un- connected have confirmed Atiku’s position on the APC presidential candidate in a way that suggests a certain behavioural pattern. The statement read: “We have read the response from Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the groundbreaking inter- view granted by His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, to Arise TV, and though it was replete with indiscreet language, the former vice president has elected to respond to the claims made by Asiwaju. 

“In responding, he has chosen the route of a friendly riposte, in the hope that his gesture will be reciprocated by the Asiwaju in future. 

“On the issue of Atiku Abubakar offering to make Bola Tinubu his running mate in 2007, the Waziri says as a statesman, which he believes Asiwaju Bola Tinubu also is, or should be, it is pertinent that they use temperate language at all times. It not only shows that they are seasoned and mature, more importantly, it is a good indicator of fitness for office. 

“And that is why it is our intention to respond to Asiwaju’s statement on Atiku Abubakar’s Arise TV interview, not in the rather impolite manner that he dealt the PDP presidential candidate, but in measured tones. 

“The major accusation made by Asiwaju Tinubu is that the Waziri Adamawa offered him the opportunity of being his running mate in 2007, which means that the former vice president was not then mindful of Nigeria’s religious and ethnic diversity, making his statements during the Arise TV interview hypo- critical. 

“We would not say that Bola Tinubu has lied. Rather, it is our desire to give him the benefit of the doubt and believe that his memory may not be what it used to be. 

“Nigerians may want to note that on September 14, 2005, the then US Consul General, Brian L. Browne, drafted a memo, leaked via Wikileaks, wherein he stated that Bola Tinubu was scheming to be a running mate to either Atiku Abubakar or Muhammadu Buhari. 

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“This is further historically corroborated by the subsequent political history of Nigeria. Biographers of President Muhammadu Buhari variously recounted how that Bola Tinubu made the same request of then-presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, in 2015. 

“In the 2016 authorised biography of President Muhammadu Buhari titled ‘Muhammadu Buhari: The Challenges of Leadership in Nigeria’, Professor John Paden, an American, wrote about the issue as follows: ‘Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State and political ‘godfather’ of the SouthWest geopolitical zone, felt he should be the vice-presidential candidate.’ 

“The above clearly shows a behavioural pattern here. So, if anyone is ‘unhinged from the truth’ (to borrow Tinu- bu’s words), it certainly is not Atiku Abubakar. 

“In any case, if Bola Tinubu can forget the name of his own political party, why will he not also forget what transpired in 2007 and 2015? We do sympathise with him. “The fact remains that in a fragile and ethnically diverse nation, such as ours, religious and ethnic balance must be observed at the highest levels, and from there flow downwards. 

“That is what Atiku Abubakar said during his interview with Arise TV on Thursday, July 21, and he stands on that principle and will continue to so stand without apology to anyone. 

“From the foregoing, it is clear that Atiku Abubakar’s memory and recollection of the event has been corrobo- rated by multiple, independent and unconnected third parties, and if this were a court of law, this issue would have been regarded as proved beyond reasonable doubt. 

“We would also like to re- mind Nigerians that even though multiple sources have testified that Bola Ti- nubu desperately lobbied to be made Buhari’s deputy in a Muslim-Muslim ticket, Tinubu himself denied this on June 22, 2022 and instead accused President Buhari of offering him the position of vice president. 

“Which is exactly the same false allegation he has made against Atiku Abubakar. This is a pattern of behaviour. Not owning up to his actions. 

“Therefore, we hope this settles the matter and that cordiality can be expected henceforth from the oppo ing camp.”