Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has described his decision to choose former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as his running mate in the 1999 presidential election as the biggest mistake of his presidency.
Obasanjo made the remark on Friday during a fireside conversation with veteran entertainer and activist Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy. The event took place in Lagos during the public presentation of Charly Boy’s foundation and memoir, 999: A Memoir in Tribute to Late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa.
Obasanjo reflects on his presidency
Speaking about his years in office, Obasanjo said every leader makes mistakes. However, he described his choice of vice president as the decision he regretted the most.
According to him, he would never have selected Atiku if he had known then what he later discovered about his former deputy.
A video of the event, later published by iWitnessLive TV on YouTube, captured the exchange after Charly Boy asked the former president to identify the biggest mistake of his administration.
“What I have found in my own life is that mistakes that could have been fatal, God had taken care of them for me,” Obasanjo said.
When Charly Boy asked him to mention one specific mistake, Obasanjo replied, “The man I picked as my running mate, my number two. If I had known him as I came to know him later, I would not have picked him.”
Former president confirms he meant Atiku
Charly Boy then asked whether he was referring to Atiku.
Obasanjo responded, “My vice president. I don’t know what name you want to give him, but my vice president, I mean that.”
He said the knowledge he gained later would have changed his decision.
“Of course, what I know about him later… I would not have picked him. Thank God that God did not allow his actions and reactions to overwhelm me, divert my focus from Nigeria or harm Nigeria,” he said.
‘No bitterness’ toward Atiku
Despite his criticism, Obasanjo insisted he held no personal resentment against his former deputy.
“There’s no bitterness because he did what he believed he should do, and God did what God had to do, which enabled me to achieve what I was able to achieve,” he said.
His remarks rank among the strongest public comments he has made about choosing Atiku as vice president. They also revive a political rivalry that has influenced Nigeria’s democratic journey for more than two decades.
How the relationship broke down
Obasanjo and Atiku became Nigeria’s first democratically elected President and Vice President after the end of military rule in 1999. They won the election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Although they initially worked closely, their relationship deteriorated during Obasanjo’s second term. The disagreement deepened after Atiku opposed attempts by Obasanjo’s allies to amend the Constitution and allow a third presidential term.
Later, the dispute escalated into legal battles after Obasanjo declared the office of the vice president vacant when Atiku defected from the PDP to the Action Congress before the 2007 general election.
However, the Supreme Court ruled that the president lacked the constitutional power to remove an elected vice president. As a result, Atiku completed his tenure.
Years of political differences
Since leaving office, both politicians have repeatedly exchanged accusations over corruption, abuse of office and political betrayal. In his 2014 memoir, My Watch, Obasanjo accused Atiku of corruption, disloyalty and placing personal ambition above national interest.
Atiku rejected the allegations. He also accused his former principal of attempting to rewrite history. Although both men briefly reconciled before the 2019 presidential election, the truce did not last. Obasanjo has since continued to urge Nigerians to prioritise competence, integrity and national interest when choosing political leaders.
Read also: Atiku accuses Obasanjo of reviving false allegations to benefit ‘kinsman’
