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 in Lagos during a fireside conversation with veteran entertainer and activist Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, at the public presentation of Charly Boy’s foundation and memoir, 999: A Memoir in Tribute to Late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa.
Responding to a question about the greatest mistake he made while in office, Obasanjo said his choice of vice president remained the one decision he regretted most.
A video of the event later published on YouTube captured the former president reflecting on his years in office.
“What I have found in my own life is that mistakes that could have been fatal, God had taken care of them for me,” he said.
When pressed to identify a 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.”
Asked by Charly Boy if 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.”
The former president said that with the benefit of hindsight, he would have made a different 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.”
Despite his criticism, Obasanjo insisted he holds no personal grudge 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.”
The remarks revive one of Nigeria’s longest-running political rivalries.
Obasanjo and Atiku were elected President and Vice President in 1999 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party following the country’s return to democratic rule.
Their relationship deteriorated during Obasanjo’s second term, particularly after Atiku opposed efforts to amend the Constitution to allow a third presidential term.
The disagreement escalated into legal and political battles after Atiku defected from the PDP to the then Action Congress ahead of the 2007 general election. Obasanjo declared the vice president’s office vacant, but the Supreme Court ruled that the president had no constitutional authority to remove an elected vice president, allowing Atiku to complete his tenure.
Since leaving office, both men 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 claims, accusing his former principal of attempting to rewrite history.
Although Obasanjo endorsed Atiku’s presidential bid ahead of the 2019 election, their reconciliation was short-lived, with both leaders later returning to opposing political positions.
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