Atiku Abubakar said the controversial
book is a mere fiction.
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar,
has
dismissed former minister, Nasir El
Rufai’s
new memoir, which characterised Mr.
Atiku
as a corrupt power monger, who based
his
decisions on the counsel of fortune-
tellers.
Mr. Abubakar said on Thursday the
book’s
accounts were mere “fiction, half-truths,
exaggeration and reflection of selective
memory.”
In a Facebook post, the former vice
president said he is “amazed” by the
claims,
but would not be angered by them, citing
Mr. El Rufai’s recent controversial Twitter
post on Jesus Christ, as proof the former
minister needs prayers instead.
“El-Rufai’s attack on my person is to say
the
least not surprising considering that this
is
the same man who has notoriety for
disparaging religions and their icons,
including lately, Jesus Christ,” Mr. Atiku
said.
“If he could go to such irreverent extent
to
disparage religious icons, who is an
ordinary mortal like me? It is my belief
that
any man that can cross the boundary of
reason and decency deserves prayers
rather
than anger.”
Mr. El Rufai’s book, Accidental Servant
Leader, has stirred immediate
controversy
ahead of its public presentation, with
critical
reviews of key politicians who served
between the Obasanjo administration,
which Mr. El Rufai served; and the
Jonathan
administration, which he has consistently
criticised.
The book chronicled multiple abuses by
officials of government and the ruling
party;
scheming for power, and betrayals by
former president, Olusegun Obasanjo,
Mr.
Atiku, and current president, Goodluck
Jonathan.
Mr. El Rufai portrayed Mr. Atiku as an
over-
ambitious politician, who hoped Mr.
Obasanjo would not complete his
tenure,
and attempted to manipulate influential
power brokers, including former military
head of state, Ibrahim Babangida, to
back
his ambition for the presidency.
Mr. Abubakar, in his capacity as the
chairman of the National Council on
Privatisation, also interfered with the
privatisation process handled by the
Bureau
of Public Enterprise which Mr. El Rufai
headed then, the book says.
At some point, Mr. El Rufai said he
threatened to quit over the pressure.
In his reaction, Mr. Abubakar accused
the
former minister of lying and
contradicting
his earlier testimony before a senate
committee, where the former minister
absolved the former vice president of
interfering with his work at the Bureau.
During an appearance before the senate
privatisation committee in August 2011,
Mr.
El Rufai assured the lawmakers that the
decisions taken during his tenure did not
receive external influence.
“We took everything we did to the
privatisation council,” Mr. El Rufai had
told
the lawmakers, “And I swear to God, I am
under oath. Except for one time that the
vice
president called me and said; look I’ve
got
calls from A and B to help this guy win
this, I
said Mr. Vice president you know the
rules,
tell him to bid the highest price because
the
highest price wins and he said yes I
know, I
am just telling you in case they contact
you.”
“And I don’t want them to say I didn’t
pass
on their requests. That was the only
time.
But no one tried to interfere with my
work.
There were attempts to block it.
President
Obasanjo blocked the privatisation of
Nigeria airways practically. Okay because
Kema Chikwe will go and tell him stories.
And what is the result today. The
company is
dead,” Mr. El Rufai told the lawmakers.
Mr. Atiku also dismissed claims in the
book
that former president, Mr. Obasanjo,
went
on “bended knees” to secure his support
for the 2003 election, saying the meeting
was private and Mr. El Rufai could not
have
known what transpired.
“Such claim lacks any credibility because
Obasanjo and I were alone together
behind
closed doors,” Mr. Atiku said. “I wonder
whether el-Rufai was a fly on the wall to
discuss the details of a private meeting
between the two of us.” Via http://­
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