President Bola Tinubu has said he shared many special moments with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar when the latter was still a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Tinubu, described Atiku as a founding APC member, said they were united in the mission to build a better future for Nigerians.

The president stated in a statement commemorating Atiku on the occasion of his 78th birthday.

The former vice president and PDP presidential candidate in the 2023 presidential election has been an active player in Nigeria’s democratic process since the return to civilian rule in 1999.

Tinubu and Atiku had enjoyed a long political relationship from their days under the old Social Democratic Party (SDP). They however parted ways shortly after APC emerged as the ruling party under President Muhammadu Buhari.

It was learnt that a tussle for the chairmanship of the APC’s Board of Trustees (BoT) resulted in their friction. Atiku’s 2019 presidential ambition saw him dump the APC for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which he is also a founding member of.

However, Tinubu, in a statement yesterday by his spokesman, Sunday Dare, recalled many special moments shared with Wazirin Adamawa as founding members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), united in the mission to build a better future for Nigerians, as well as their engagement as political opponents in the last presidential election.

President Tinubu recognised Atiku’s commitment to public service and philanthropy, and prayed to Almighty Allah to continue to grant him health and happiness in the years ahead.