The Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential candidate in the last election, Atiku Abubakar, claimed that he turned down an offer to be President Bola Tinubu’s running mate.
Atiku also affirmed that he remained loyal to Tinubu during their political partnership in 2007.
He stated that he stood firm against his then-principal, President Olusegun Obasanjo, to prevent Lagos State from succumbing to the political shifts of 2003.
Atiku then disclosed that he and Tinubu went separate ways politically when the former Lagos State governor expressed interest in being his running mate in the 2007 election.
He said, “I beg to disagree (on betrayal allegation) with Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Yes, it is true that in 2007, we came together to form an alliance in Lagos, and at the convention, I contested and got the ticket. After I got the ticket, he sent about 5 or 6 seniors – some of them are here – I can even name them, but I don’t want to embarrass them.
“They met me and said to me that Bola wanted to be my running mate. I said to them, gentlemen, you’re all old enough, and apparently, virtually all of you are Christians’ with the exception of one person. What will be your reaction to having a Muslim-Muslim ticket?
“All of them said we totally objected to it and I said why didn’t you tell him when he was giving you the message that look Mr Tinubu, the message you’re sending us, we don’t seem to agree with you on it (Muslim-Muslim ticket). Why are you coming then to me? And that was the end of our political relationship. We broke away, so what is the ground for him to say that I betrayed him?
“Till today, I won’t do a Muslim-Muslim ticket; I don’t have to be president; we are a multi-ethnic and multi-religious people, and our government must reflect our diversity, and our composition must reflect the same.”
