Why I Rejected Tinubu As Running Mate, Atiku Explains

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has revealed that he rejected an offer by then Lagos State Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu to become his running mate because he opposed the idea of a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket.

Atiku made the disclosure in a Hausa-language video interview shared on X, recounting political events surrounding his presidential bid and his relationship with Tinubu.

According to Atiku, after he secured the presidential ticket, Tinubu sent five prominent political figures, including Tom Ikimi and Bisi Akande, to persuade him to accept Tinubu as his running mate.

He said he rejected the proposal on the grounds that a Muslim-Muslim ticket would not serve Nigeria’s interests.

“I told them that I could not accept a Muslim-Muslim ticket, because it would not be of the best interest of our country,” Atiku said.

He added that the disagreement contributed to the end of their political relationship at the time, with Tinubu subsequently backing the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

Atiku said they remained in different political camps until 2014, when former President Muhammadu Buhari sought his support ahead of the presidential election.

According to him, Buhari visited him in Abuja after winning the presidential primary and asked for his support to defeat the incumbent government.

Atiku said he agreed to support Buhari on the condition that he would not choose Tinubu as his running mate if doing so resulted in a Muslim-Muslim ticket.

“I gave him one condition because I learnt that Tinubu wanted Buhari to pick him as his running mate. I assured him I would support on the condition that he would not do Muslim-Muslim ticket,” he said.

Atiku said Buhari initially took about five minutes to consider the condition before assuring him that he would not adopt a Muslim-Muslim ticket.

He claimed that after Buhari left, Tinubu sent emissaries to find out about the agreement, leading to a disagreement between the two politicians.

According to Atiku, Tinubu became upset after learning that Buhari had agreed not to pick him as running mate.

He further claimed that Tinubu later proposed that Buhari pick his wife as his running mate because she was a Christian, but Buhari rejected the suggestion, saying he was unwilling to work with a female running mate.

Atiku said religious leaders subsequently became involved in the disagreement before Tinubu eventually agreed to the nomination of Yemi Osinbajo, then his Attorney-General in Lagos, as Buhari’s running mate.

He said Buhari accepted Osinbajo, who is a Christian, thereby avoiding a Muslim-Muslim ticket in the 2015 presidential election.