Atiku lied about helping Tinubu win 2003 election, says Olaosebikan, ex-aide Lam Adesina’s aide

A former aide to late Governor Lam Adesina of Oyo State, Kehinde Olaosebikan, has debunked the claim by the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, that he was instrumental in helping President Bola Tinubu win a second term as the governor of Lagos State in 2003.

Olaosebikan, who was the chief press secretary to Lam Adesina and a journalist, described Atiku’s assertion as “a blatant lie” and “the fallacy of the century” in a press statement issued in Abuja on Friday.

He said that Atiku had no influence or power in the Obasanjo-led Federal Government at the time, as he had betrayed his boss and lost his trust. He also said that Atiku had no role in “sparing” Lagos for Tinubu, as the former Lagos governor won the election against all odds due to his popularity and performance.

Olaosebikan recalled how Tinubu refused to join his five other colleagues in the South West who were deceived by Obasanjo into supporting his second term bid, only to be defeated by his PDP candidates. He said that Tinubu was the only governor who stood firm and resisted Obasanjo’s antics and manipulations.

He said that he had written articles on the unique victory of Tinubu in 2003, and that many other well-informed Nigerians had also documented how Tinubu won against all odds. He challenged Atiku to provide any evidence or proof of his claim that he helped Tinubu win in 2003.

He advised Atiku to stop lying and misleading the public about Tinubu, who he said was not indebted to him in any way. He said that Atiku was only trying to win sympathy from Nigerians after failing politically and judicially both at home and abroad.

He said, “For the palpably rattled and bitter Atiku to now again at his highly-hyped world press conference  claim that he made the Obasanjo government to spare Lagos for Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the fallacy of the century when the reasons why Tinubu won in Lagos, against all the odds have long been well placed in the public space.

“Obasanjo had in the most deceitful manner, cajoled the governors and the Pan Yoruba group, Afenifere in believing that he (Obasanjo) would be “soft” on them and make their victories easy insofar as they supported his election for a second term in office. The five governors fell for Obasanjo’s antics and openly worked for his second term in office. In fact, the promotion of Obasanjo’s second term bid took precedence far above campaigns for our governorship and National Assembly candidates in the build up to the general elections of 2003.

“Despite the fact that we were in the Alliance for Democracy (AD), the opposition party, we campaigned vigorously for the second term of Olusegun Obasanjo and indirectly his Peoples Democratic Party’s candidates who eventually defeated us. I was a victim as the AD candidate for House of Representatives, Oluyole Federal Constituency.

“With heavy music and beautiful lyrics we introduced a new dimension, new lexicon to our politics: we birthed splitting of votes; Aremu Oke and Aremu Isale. Vote one for Aremu at the top (Obasanjo for President) and one for Aremu at the bottom, state (Alhaji Lam Adesina). But at the end of the day, General Obasanjo trounced us, with the deployment of all the tricks and antics you can think of.

“But, in Lagos, Tinubu in his wisdom refused to follow either his fellow governors or Afenifere in supporting Obasanjo, and instead answered his father’s name. He campaigned only for his party, the Alliance for Democracy. He asked voters to concentrate all their votes at the top, the space for AD on the ballot papers in all the elections.

“As we were rollicking to the lovely melody of Aremu Oke and Aremu Isale in the South West, from Ibadan to Saki, Ogbomosho, Tede, Idere and so on, particularly in Oyo State, the people of Lagos State were ‘eating to the top’ (won un Jeun Soke).  And in the real sense of it they actually ate well and this is evident, till today, in the yarning gaps in riches and wealth between the people of Lagos and those in other parts of Yoruba Land.

“With the enormous powers of the Presidency, particularly under the leadership of Olusegun Obasanjo who was touted to have possessed and exercised more powers than the American President at his time, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu crushed Obasanjo in all aspects of governance.  He challenged Obasanjo on legislative matters and he won; he contested against Obasanjo’s position on judiciary and made mincemeat of him; and in Obasanjo’s desperate bid to conquer Lagos State along with other Yoruba state, Tinubu triumphed over Obasanjo and still beating him till today.

“Even, if Atiku had been a friend of President Bola Tinubu then wanting to help him, what was he then to approach Obasanjo to spare Lagos for Tinubu. And also in which way did all the elucidated pragmatic and solid political moves of the then Lagos State Governor sync with Atiku’s claim of sparing Lagos for Tinubu. I think our respected former Vice President should accept defeat, safe himself from further humiliation and Gba fun Oga e, as we say it in Ibadan.”