Wednesday, May 23, 2007—The rift between President Olusegun Obasanjo and Vice President, Atiku Abubakar started on the first day of their eight-year administration due to disagreement over the choice of the maiden leadership of the National Assembly, it has now been revealed.

Both leaders had reportedly disagreed on a plan by Obasanjo to overturn his party’s unanimous choice of the late Dr Chuba Okadigbo as the Senate President, barely 24 hours after being sworn in.

President Obasanjo. His Vice accused him of introducing bribery immediately he assumed office in 1999.

Recounting the genesis of their face-off in a statement on Tuesday, Atiku alleged that Obasanjo resorted to bribing the newly elected senators across party lines with USD 5,000 to have his choice, Chief Evans Enwerem installed after trying in vain to enlist him (Atiku) to persuade Okadigbo to step down.

Okadigbo had been picked at a meeting at Agura Hotel, Abuja convened by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to involve the senators in the choice of their presiding and other principal officers.

But Obasanjo was said to have been opposed to his choice on the ground that the former Senate President smoked marijuana and was a womanizer.

At a breakfast meeting the following day to which he invited the vice president and former Defense Minister, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma, the president asked Atiku to tell Okadigbo to step down.

Vice President Atiku Abubakar. He accused President Obasanjo of introducing bribery in government immediately upon taking office

But Atiku reportedly declined, advising that apart from the fact that Enwerem was not known to him, the man had just joined the party.

The vice president also argued that while he knew Okadigbo as a cigarette smoker, the senator did not smoke marijuana. He jokingly told the president that he (Obasanjo) was a worst offender when it comes to womanizing.

The president reportedly stormed out in anger. It was clear that the government was already in crisis, 24 hours after coming into office.

“That evening, May 30th, the party chairman, Chief Solomon Lar called a meeting of stakeholders including Alhaji Lawal Kaita, Dr Alex Ekwueme, and leading founding members of the party at the villa to find a solution to the deadlock, the meeting resolved that the principal actors, the president and the vice president give up their respective choices of Enwerem and Okadigbo, for a neutral candidate to emerge. At this stage, the South-East caucus led by Dr Ekwueme, Dr Sylvester Ugoh and the former national treasurer retired to Ekwueme’s Suite at the Hilton to produce a new consensus candidate. They arrived at an early decision in the person of Senator Adolphus Wabara and the former Vice President was mandated to deliver the name to the president at the villa.

“Coming out of the meeting, however, the delegates were shocked to see businessman, Chief Arthur Eze, Alhaji Lawal Batagarawa and a now estranged friend of President Obasanjo from the South-West ferrying ‘Ghana-must-go’ of both Naira and Dollar sums to the Senators in their rooms. Not one to be prevailed upon to give up on a given course of action, the President, unknown to them, had bought over Alliance for Democracy, AD, and the All People’s Party, APP, (both defunct) senators in addition to about 40 per cent of the PDP membership to overturn the decision of his own party (PDP).

Enwerem won the Senate Presidency. With that, emerged what came to be known as “PDP 1” (made up of AD, APP and a few PDP senators) and “PDP 2” who were not on talking terms with their party. From this point, there was no party loyalty anymore. From that day, party discipline died a natural death.”

Atiku revealed in the statement. As Chairman, Board of Trustees, Vice President Ekwueme was said to have tried to reconcile the president with the Senate dominated by their party but to no avail.

Late Dr. Chuba Okadigbo, Ph.D., former President of the Senate. He was reportedly a casualty of President Obasanjo’s hatred. He died Thursday September 25, 2003 after Obasanjo’s police reportedly attacked and sprayed him with tear gas during public event. No one was arrested or prosecuted for his 'gassing to death' or 'deadly gas'.

“This was the beginning of Obasanjo’s meddlesomeness in the affairs of the National Assembly. The consequences of course were instability in the National Assembly and a rapid turnover in its leadership,” the statement concluded.

THE campaign organisation of Vice President Atiku Abubakar yesterday continued its verbal war with President Olusegun Obasanjo who at the weekend accused Abubakar of bribing federal legislators for dubious purposes.

Abubakar and the former House of Representatives Speaker, Ghali Umar Na'Abba, had on Monday denied the allegation and in turn accused the President of being the one who is guilty of the offence.

But the Atiku Campaign Organisation yesterday gave what it called the genesis of alleged financial inducement of the National Assembly members, which it linked to the President.

In a statement entitled: "How bribe money first entered the National Assembly," the organisation said that the frosty relationship between the members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the National Assembly within days of the Obasanjo administration in 1999, was as a result of the President's alleged bribery policy.

It claimed that the late Dr. Chuba Okadigbo was to be the Senate President in 1999, but for Obasanjo's alleged opposition to his candidature, which the President allegedly worked against by bribing senators from the opposition Alliance for Democracy (AD) and the then All Peoples Party (APP) to outnumber PDP senators.

The campaign organisation stated: "When he spoke on television last weekend, the President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, alleged that the Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, was the first to introduce bribery to the National Assembly when he gave U.S.D 5,000 to the members of the Senate to remove his choice President of the Chamber from office, Evans Enwerem. The Vice President denies ever giving bribes to the National Assembly. Rather, it is the President who used bribes to scuttle his party's choice of the first Senate President and, destroying in the process, the unity, solidarity and the rank-and-file discipline among the PDP membership in the National Assembly."

Detailing how the alleged bribery of National Assembly members began, the organisation said that on May 29, 1999, "the day the new civilian administration was sworn-in, the PDP called a meeting of its Senators-elect at Agura Hotel in Abuja."

Disclosing that the minutes of the meeting were taken, the organisation said: "The party said that it wanted to involve the senators in the choice of their presiding officer and other principal officers. When the choice of the Senate President was put to vote, the overwhelming majority cast their votes for Dr. Chuba Okadigbo. In fact, only four senators declined to support Okadigbo, namely: Nwobodo who wanted to be Senate President and therefore, voted for himself; as well as Nzeribe and Enwerem who also harboured a similar aspiration. Chief Joseph Waku, the fourth of the dissenters voted for Nwobodo."

It continued: "When the President got the result of the votes, he said 'no', he was not going to have Okadigbo as the President of the Senate. He then invited the Vice President, Atiku Abubakar and Gen. T. Y. Danjuma to join him for breakfast the following morning.

"The President told the two that Okadigbo smoked marijuana and was a womanizer for which reasons he was not going to have him as the President of the Senate. He therefore asked the Vice President to tell Okadigbo to step down from the race, and in his place, he said, he wanted Evans Enwerem."

The organisation stated further: "The Vice President advised that apart from the fact that Enwerem was not known to him, this man that the President wanted had just joined the PDP from the All Peoples Party (APP) and needed time to acclimatize."

Querying Obasanjo's alleged comments on the now deceased legislator, the Vice President was said to have argued that while he knew Okadigbo as a cigarette smoker, the Senator did not smoke marijuana.

The organisation continued: "Atiku jokingly told the President that he (the President) was a worse offender when it comes to womanizing. The President stormed out in anger. Gen. Danjuma found himself talking to the Vice President, asking such questions whether 'this is the way you civilians treat the Commander-in-Chief.' In the presence of a former National Security Adviser, General Aliyu Mohammed Gusau, Danjuma explained that in the military, whenever the Commander-in-Chief took a position, everyone queued behind him."

It continued: "The Vice President responded by saying that this was not a military government and that if this is the way the President wanted to run the country, the VP was ready to leave the government, or at best, go to his office and sit down to read newspapers. It was clear that the government was already in crisis, 24 hours after coming into office.

"That evening, May 30, the party Chairman, Chief Solomon Lar, called a meeting of stakeholders, including Alhaji Lawal Kaita, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, and leading founding members of the party at the Villa. He announced that 'tomorrow, this government will start and we cannot begin like this'".

"The President charged at Ekwueme, asking him 'is this how you worked with Shagari?' going on to state that this government will have only one C-in-C.

"Ekwueme replied by saying that before any decision is made by their government, he was invited to a discussion by the President and that his views were taken. Whenever a decision is reached thereby, everyone stood by the decision taken."

It continued: "As a solution to the deadlock, the meeting resolved that the principal actors, the President and the Vice President give up their respective choices of Enwerem and Okadigbo, for a neutral candidate to emerge. At this stage, the South-East caucus led by Dr. Ekwueme, Dr. Sylvester Ugoh and the former National Treasurer retired to Ekwueme's suite at the Hilton to produce a new consensus candidate. They arrived at an early decision in the person of Senator Adolphus Wabara and the former Vice President was mandated to deliver the name to the President at the Villa. Coming out of the meeting, the delegates were shocked to see businessman from South-East, a northern politician and a now estranged friend of President Obasanjo from the South-West (names withheld) ferrying "Ghana-must-go" of both naira and dollar sums to the senators in their rooms. Not one to be prevailed upon to give up on a given course of action, the President, unknown to them, had bought over Alliance for Democracy (AD) and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) (both defunct) senators in addition to about 40 per cent of the PDP membership to overturn the decision of his own party (PDP).

"Enwerem won the Senate Presidency. With that emerged what came to be known as "PDP 1" (made up of AD, ANPP and a few PDP senators) and "PDP 2" who were in talking terms with their party. From this point, there was no party loyalty anymore. From that day, party discipline died a natural death. As Chairman Board of Trustees, Vice President Ekwueme did everything to reconcile the President with the Senate dominated by their party but alas, this was to no avail.

"This was the beginning of Obasanjo's meddlesomeness in the affairs of the National Assembly. The consequences of course were instability in the National Assembly and a rapid turnover in its leadership. The President had been misadvised, obviously to have his own man at the helm of affairs at the National Assembly instead of allowing PDP stalwarts as Deputy and President of the Senate. Obasanjo took the advice because it suited his own instinct to control and dominate all institutions of government. In furtherance of this desire, he was willing to use everything - including money to get his way."