I have no hand in OBJ, Jonathan’s fight – Atiku Abubakar

Former Vice President and chieftain of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has affirmed that he has no hands in the ongoing feud between president Goodluck Jonathan and ex president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.

The presidential aspirant in the 2011 election denied reports making the rounds in the media that he is backing Obasanjo to fight the incumbent president.

Long time publicist of the former Vice President, Mallam Garba Shehu, disclosed that “there are no formal talks going on between former President Obasanjo and the Turaki (Atiku Abubakar).”

Shehu said: “We are aware that alignment and realignment are going-on on almost every front. This is to be expected. It is in the nature of politics. For some time now the Turaki has fully immersed himself in reconciliation with party members across the length and breadth of the country”.

On the report that the Turaki of Adamwa is plotting with others to vote out Jonathan from office in 2015, he said: “On the recurrent issue of the alleged face-off between former President Obasanjo and President Goodluck Jonathan, the Turaki strongly insists that he knows nothing about it. He, too, he says, has read about it in the newspapers and left it at that.

“To the best of my knowledge, I am not aware of any political meeting between President Obasanjo and his former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. Speculations to the effect that he has teamed up with his former boss to fight President Jonathan are therefore totally unfounded”.

“Turaki’s peace overture to his former boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo, although much misunderstood, should be taken in this context. Today, the Turaki feels much at ease with himself having taken the olive branch to about everyone with whom he had one form of falling out or the other.

“The former Vice President believes that vengeance is a negative emotion that ruins the quality of one’s happiness. Many people are amazed why he has no difficulty talking to perceived enemies. His conviction, however, is that forgiveness costs him nothing.

“In fact, many former public office holders that had once insulted him came back seeking his forgiveness and he did so without looking back. There was nothing unusual, therefore, if he had extended reverential hands of fellowship to politicians perceived as his adversaries”.

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