Paul Ibe challenges Fani-Kayode’s claims about Atiku’s record

Paul Ibe has challenged several claims made by Femi Fani-Kayode about former vice-president Atiku Abubakar, arguing that political criticism should distinguish between documented facts, disputed accounts and allegations. Ibe accepts that Atiku has sought presidential nominations repeatedly and has changed political parties. However, he says Atiku was not a presidential candidate in a Nigerian general election in 1993, 2011 or 2015, because those were party nomination contests.

According to Ibe, Atiku appeared on the general-election ballot in 2007, 2019 and 2023, making the 2027 contest his fourth presidential candidacy. Ibe also argues that Nigeria’s Constitution does not bar a person from contesting the presidency because of the number of unsuccessful attempts. He cites Section 137 as limiting a person who has already been elected president twice, rather than limiting the number of candidacies.

On party membership, Ibe disputes the calculation that Atiku has belonged to seven parties. He says the People’s Front of Nigeria was a political association formed during the Babangida transition, not a registered political party. He also points to Fani-Kayode’s own movements between the APC and PDP, saying criticism of party switching should be applied consistently.

Ibe says accounts of the conflict between Atiku and Olusegun Obasanjo differ, although he acknowledges that some PDP governors considered replacing Obasanjo and approached Atiku. On the Mambilla arbitration, Ibe says the tribunal raised concerns about a $500,000 transfer involving Atiku’s former wife, Jennifer Douglas. But he stresses that it found no evidence in the record that Atiku used his official duties to secure the contract and did not impose criminal liability.