Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has reflected on how his late political mentor, Shehu Yar’adua, instructed him to step down for Chief Moshood Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, during the primaries of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Atiku made the remarks in an exclusive interview for the television show Untold Stories with Adesuwa Giwa-Osagie, scheduled to air today, but was obtained by Daily Trust ahead of the broadcast.
In the interview, Atiku elaborated on why Abiola reneged on an earlier agreement with Yar’adua to name him (Atiku) as his running mate after securing the SDP ticket.
He clarified that there had been some misinterpretation and misrepresentation of the events surrounding that period, even though he had previously addressed the circumstances.
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Atiku recalled that after the first ballot, he contacted Yar’adua, who was in Kaduna at the time due to a political ban. He told Yar’adua that Babagana Kingibe was poised to win unless he intervened.
Atiku said he urged Yar’adua to come to Jos immediately, as the situation was critical. “I told him, ‘Look, if you don’t come to Jos, there is every likelihood that Babagana Kingibe is going to be elected, and I know you don’t want it. So you better come to Jos, no matter how late.’”
Yar’adua drove from Kaduna to Jos, arriving around three or four in the morning. Atiku said Yar’adua called for a meeting at Alhaji Yahaya Kwande’s house, where he and Abiola were present.
Atiku, however, was not privy to the discussion between Yar’adua and Abiola.
When the meeting began, Yar’adua told Atiku, “Turaki,” to which Atiku replied, “Yes, sir.” Yar’adua then instructed Atiku to step down for Abiola, to which Atiku immediately agreed, saying, “Okay, sir. I have stepped down.”
Atiku later learned that SDP governors had pressured Abiola to choose Kingibe as his running mate instead of honoring the prior agreement with Yar’adua.
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According to Atiku, the governors threatened Abiola, saying, “If you don’t take Kingibe, we are not going to support you.”
The governors, Atiku explained, had secured their tickets when Kingibe was the chairman of the SDP, and Abiola, seeing this pressure, decided to pick Kingibe instead.
