Comrade Timi Frank, former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo of being an “accomplice” to the very failures he now attributes to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. In a statement issued on Saturday, August 1, Frank described Obasanjo’s repeated attacks on Atiku as an “outdated blackmail pattern” that Nigerians have grown weary of.
Frank, who also serves as the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) Ambassador to East Africa and the Middle East, was responding to Obasanjo’s declaration that choosing Atiku as his running mate in 1999 was the greatest political mistake of his life. The former President made the remark during a fireside chat with musician Charly Boy in Lagos on Friday, July 31, at an event organised to unveil Charly Boy’s foundation and his memoir, “999: A Memoir in Tribute to Late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa.”
Frank: Obasanjo Cannot Escape Responsibility
Frank argued that Obasanjo, who held executive authority from 1999 to 2007, cannot credibly deflect responsibility for the administration’s record onto his former deputy. He noted that all approving powers rested solely with Obasanjo during those eight years, making him directly accountable for decisions taken under his watch.
“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.
The APC chieftain also challenged Obasanjo to publicly account for military operations carried out under his leadership in Odi, Bayelsa State, and Zaki Biam, Benue State. Frank described as hypocritical the former President’s decision to interrogate Atiku’s record while leaving his own unexamined.
Atiku’s Role in Administration
Frank further contended that Atiku was instrumental in recruiting the technocrats and professionals who delivered several key achievements credited to the Obasanjo administration. He argued that the former President had benefited from his deputy’s work before turning on him.
According to Frank, Atiku’s silence in the face of the attacks is a sign of maturity. He warned, however, that the former vice president could publicly disclose damaging information about his former boss if he chose to respond.
Political Influence Dismissed
Frank was equally blunt about what he sees as Obasanjo’s overstated political relevance, asserting that candidates backed by the former President have consistently lost at the polls. “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 also accused Obasanjo of directing little comparable criticism at the current administration while singling out Atiku. “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,” he added.
Call for Elder Statesmanship
Frank urged Obasanjo to conduct himself as an elder statesman, pointing to former military leaders including Ibrahim Babangida, Abdulsalami Abubakar, and Yakubu Gowon as examples of restraint worth emulating. “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,” Frank said.
He closed by urging Obasanjo to openly campaign for any candidate he supports ahead of the 2027 elections rather than working to undermine Atiku.
Atiku’s Earlier Response
The latest exchange is not the first between the two men. Previously, Atiku publicly rejected an allegation by Obasanjo that he paid a bribe to the late House of Representatives Speaker, Ghali Umar Na’Abba, to push an impeachment agenda. In a statement released on July 24 by Atiku’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the claims as reckless and said they dishonoured the memory of a man who can no longer speak for himself.
