I ‘ll end battle with Tinubu if supreme court decides in his favour -Atiku

By Peters Monday, Abuja

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar has said he would only end fight with President Bola Tinubu if the Supreme Court decides in the President’s favour.

He disclosed this at a press conference, while speaking on the issue of President Bola Tinubu’s academic records released by the Chicago State University (CSU) in Abuja on Thursday.

When responding to questions during the press conference , Atiku said “The case is still in court. I’ll only drop this fight if the court rules. If the court rules that I’m right, fine, if the court rules that Tinubu is right, fine. There’s no other court higher than the Supreme Court. That is where it all ends. I didn’t betray Tinubu as alleged”.

However, Atiku also disproved allegations that he betrayed Tinubu, who many see as his former political ally.

He said, “I disagree with Tinubu, yes it’s true that we came together in 2007. In Lagos, at the convention, I emerged winner and got the party’s ticket. After I got the ticket, he sent me about five or six senior party men, and they met me and said Bola (Tinubu) wanted to be my running mate.

“I said, gentlemen, you are all old enough, and asked, What would be your reaction to having a Muslim-Muslim ticket?

“They all answered that they objected to it, I then told them they should have told him and that was the end of the political relationship; he (Tinubu) broke away, and supported Umaru Yar’Adua. So what is the ground for him to say I betrayed him?

“In 2003, the PDP took over all the southwestern states with the exception of Lagos. I stood between Obasanjo and Tinubu and told Obasanjo to leave Lagos, and he left it. I vehemently deny that I stabbed Tinubu in the back.

“Till today, I won’t do a Muslim-Muslim ticket; I don’t have to be president; we are a multi-ethnic and multi-religious people, and our government must reflect our diversity, and our composition must reflect the same.”

Recall, Tinubu-Atiku’s legal feud on CSU academic record
Recall Atiku had secured release of Tinubu’s education records from the CSU through a court subpoena, against the disclosure by the President.

The released records, which came first on October 3 and a deposition on Tuesday, showed that Tinubu’s 1979 CSU certificate he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was different from samples of the certificates the University issued to students that same year.