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 political career.
Obasanjo made the remark on Friday in Lagos during a fireside chat with veteran entertainer Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, at the unveiling of the Charly Boy Foundation and the launch of Charly Boy’s memoir, 999: A Memoir in Tribute to Late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa.
NPO Reports recalls that the former president and Atiku were elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 1999 and served together as President and Vice President until 2007.
Reflecting on his years in office, Obasanjo said that, with the benefit of hindsight, he would not have selected Atiku as his running mate.
“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.”
When Charly Boy sought clarification on 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 his assessment was based on what he later came to know about Atiku after they assumed office.
“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,” Obasanjo said.
Despite the criticism, the former president insisted he harboured no bitterness towards 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 added.
Obasanjo and Atiku became Nigeria’s first democratically elected President and Vice President following the end of military rule in 1999. During their first term, they were widely regarded as a formidable political team, with Atiku playing prominent roles in the National Economic Council, the National Council on Privatisation and several economic reform initiatives.
However, their relationship deteriorated during Obasanjo’s second term, particularly after Atiku opposed efforts by allies of the former president to amend the Constitution to allow a third presidential term.
The dispute later escalated into a legal battle after Obasanjo declared Atiku’s office vacant following his defection from the PDP to the then Action Congress ahead of the 2007 general election.
The Supreme Court subsequently ruled that the President lacked the constitutional authority to remove an elected vice president, allowing Atiku to complete his tenure.
Since leaving office, both politicians have repeatedly traded accusations over corruption, abuse of office and political betrayal.