Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has described his selection of Atiku Abubakar as running mate ahead of the 1999 presidential election as the single greatest regret of his time in office.
Reflecting on his administration during a fireside chat with activist Charles Oputa, known as Charly Boy, at the launch of Oputa’s memoir and foundation, Obasanjo stated that hindsight would have led him to choose a different vice president.
“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,” Obasanjo remarked, confirming he was referring to his former deputy.
The comments mark one of the former leader’s most direct public censures of Atiku, reigniting a high-profile feud that has spanned over two decades. The pair were elected on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket in 1999 to usher in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, initially presenting a unified front as Atiku oversaw major economic and privatisation portfolios.
Relations broke down dramatically during their second term, notably after Atiku opposed proposed constitutional amendments designed to grant Obasanjo a third term in office. The collapse of the tenure extension bill in 2006 triggered intense political warfare, culminating in a landmark Supreme Court ruling that blocked Obasanjo’s attempt to declare Atiku’s office vacant after he defected to the Action Congress in 2007.
Addressing the audience, Obasanjo insisted he held no personal malice over the feud, attributing his survival of the political rift to divine providence.
“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, adding: “Thank God that God did not allow his actions and reactions to overwhelm me, divert my focus from Nigeria or harm Nigeria.”