A public disagreement has emerged between Paul Ibe, Media Adviser to Atiku Abubakar, and Femi Fani-Kayode, former Minister of Aviation, over claims made about Atiku's presidential bids and party history. Ibe released a statement titled "Fani-Kayode on Atiku: Separating Claims from the Record" to counter Fani-Kayode's assertions. According to Ibe, Atiku has appeared on the presidential ballot three times, not seven as claimed by Fani-Kayode.
Fani-Kayode had stated that Atiku's attempt to contest the 2027 presidential election would be his seventh attempt. He listed Atiku's previous attempts, including the Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential primaries in 1993, the Action Congress (AC) candidacy in 2007, and the PDP presidential candidacies in 2019 and 2023. Ibe argued that Fani-Kayode blurred the distinction between party primaries and general election candidacies, noting that Atiku was not a presidential candidate in the general elections in 1993, 2011, and 2015.
Ibe cited Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, who contested in 1978, 1983, 1988, and 1993 before winning on his fifth attempt in 2000. He emphasized that Nigeria's Constitution does not disqualify anyone based on the number of times they have unsuccessfully sought election. Section 137 bars a person elected President twice, but does not limit the number of times a person can contest. Ibe also questioned Fani-Kayode's count of Atiku's party memberships.
Ibe stated that the claim that Atiku belonged to seven parties treated the People's Front of Nigeria (PFN) as a political party, whereas the PFN was a political association during the Babangida transition that was never registered. He noted that party switching was a legitimate subject for scrutiny but that the standard should be applied consistently. Ibe recalled Fani-Kayode's own movements between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The dispute also touched on the 2003 presidential election and the Mambilla contract. Ibe said the historical record was more complicated than presented, noting that Atiku had stated that PDP governors approached him to challenge President Olusegun Obasanjo but that he declined based on an understanding that presidential power should remain in the South-West for eight years. On Mambilla, Ibe said an ICC tribunal examined the circumstances surrounding a $500,000 transfer and rejected the explanation due to a lack of contemporaneous documentation.
Ibe and Fani-Kayode also differed on Atiku's engagement with a Washington-based firm and his proposal on fuel subsidy. Ibe said the engagement between Atiku and Von Batten-Montague-York was publicly filed with the United States Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) for government-affairs representation and strategic advisory services. Ibe clarified that Atiku's proposal was a production subsidy restricted to petroleum products refined in Nigeria, not a return to subsidising imported petrol.
Fani-Kayode had predicted that Atiku would be defeated in 2027 and urged him to retire from active presidential contests. He also stated that Atiku's plan to restore fuel subsidy if elected would reverse the economic gains of the last three years. The public exchange between Ibe and Fani-Kayode highlights the ongoing debate about Atiku's presidential ambitions and the nuances of Nigerian politics.
Key points
- Atiku Abubakar has appeared on the presidential ballot three times, not seven as claimed by Fani-Kayode.
- Ibe and Fani-Kayode disagree on the count of Atiku's party memberships and presidential bids.
- The dispute touches on various aspects of Nigerian politics, including party history, presidential elections, and policy proposals.
