•Atiku, Frank and Obasanjo
Activist and former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, has accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo of turning former Vice President Atiku Abubakar into an election-year scapegoat every four years.
Frank said this while reacting to Obasanjo’s latest attack on the Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Speaking at the unveiling of the foundation of Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, Obasanjo had said picking Atiku as running mistake was the biggest mistake he made as president, reports Weekend Trust.
But in a strongly worded statement, Frank described Obasanjo’s repeated attacks on Atiku as an “outdated blackmail pattern” which, according to him, Nigerians had become tired of.
He accused the former President of deliberately shifting blame to Atiku for the failures of an administration in which he himself wielded the ultimate constitutional authority.
Frank said Atiku was instrumental in assembling the technocrats and professionals who, according to him, delivered some of the major achievements credited to the Obasanjo administration.
He therefore challenged Obasanjo to take responsibility for both the successes and failures of the government instead of repeatedly portraying his former deputy as the architect of its problems.
He also referenced the 1999-2007 administration and accused Obasanjo of failing to take responsibility for controversial actions during his tenure, including military operations in Odi, Bayelsa State, and Zaki Biam, Benue State.
“If it is true that Atiku committed all of these things you have constantly accused him of, then we can conclude that you were a full accomplice as you presided over as president, because all the approving powers rested solely within your purview,” Frank said.
He accused Obasanjo of reviving allegations against Atiku whenever elections draw near, describing the former President’s intervention as a predictable political ritual.
“It is now a home movie series where you remember Atiku every four years for the single fact of smearing and gaslighting your ex-VP whenever an election cycle is near,” he said.
Frank declared that Nigerians were no longer interested in what he described as Obasanjo’s “stale and outdated” rhetoric, insisting that the former President should offer fresh ideas instead of recycling allegations against Atiku.
He further accused Obasanjo of assuming the role of a political “spoiler” whenever the country appeared poised for a change of government.
“It is your prerogative not to support Alhaji Atiku, which is constitutional, but using this blackmail tactic is stale and wouldn’t give your preferred candidate victory at the polls,” Frank said.
“We urge you to put a hold to this comedy skit every four years where you are being recruited as a spoiler for which you are known for since your days as military Head of State.”
According to him, Obasanjo should stop attacking Atiku and, if he has a preferred candidate ahead of the 2027 election, openly campaign for that candidate.
“Sell your candidate if you have one at all and refrain from allowing yourself to be used before the issue of Atiku becomes a nightmare that may eventually consume you,” he said.
Frank also dismissed what he described as attempts to portray Atiku as the major obstacle to Nigeria’s progress, arguing that the former vice president had been subjected to numerous investigations without, according to him, producing the outcome his critics have repeatedly alleged.
Turning the attack directly on Obasanjo, Frank alleged that the former President had remained unusually focused on Atiku while failing to devote similar energy to criticising the current administration.
“Atiku isn’t the problem of Nigeria right now and we dare you to criticize the current government like the way you cry about Atiku,” Frank said.
He also challenged Obasanjo to account for controversial actions taken during his presidency, including the military operations in Odi, Bayelsa State, and Zaki Biam, Benue State.
“Obasanjo knows the truth that Atiku is eminently qualified and possesses the requisite capacity to lead Nigeria, but doing a hatchet job by criticising him. Fortunately, Nigerians are fully aware of this, hence they ignore him,” he said.
He said Obasanjo’s political interventions had also failed to translate into electoral victories for candidates he had backed, arguing that his political influence had been exaggerated.
“Your political value is whitewash and a ruse because any candidate you support has always been defeated at the polls, even in your state of Ogun,” Frank said.
He warned that Obasanjo should be mindful of the consequences of turning his political disagreements with Atiku into a recurring public spectacle.
Frank said Atiku had deliberately maintained his silence and refrained from responding personally to Obasanjo, describing that restraint as maturity.
According to him, Atiku could reveal damaging information about his former boss if he chose to respond publicly.
He urged Obasanjo to conduct himself as an elder statesman and emulate the restraint, in his view, demonstrated by former military leaders including Ibrahim Babangida, Abdulsalami Abubakar and Yakubu Gowon.
Frank said Obasanjo should recognise that political power was ultimately determined by Nigerians and not by any individual political godfather.
“If it is destined for Atiku to become President, neither you nor anyone else can stop it,” he said.
He added: “Hopefully, by God’s grace, you will witness Atiku becoming president before you leave this earth.”
