‘You are My Biggest mistake’ — Obasanjo Fires at Atiku

• Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says choosing Atiku Abubakar as his vice president in 1999 remains the biggest mistake of his presidency, admitting he would never have made the decision if he had known what he later discovered.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has described his decision to choose Atiku Abubakar as his running mate in the 1999 presidential election as the biggest mistake he made during his eight years in office.

Obasanjo made the revelation on Friday 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, held in Lagos.

Reflecting on his presidency, Obasanjo said that although every leader makes mistakes, selecting Atiku as vice president remains the one decision he regrets the most.

According to him, if he had known then what he later discovered about his former deputy, he would never have picked him.

“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 identify his greatest mistake as president, the former leader 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.”

When pressed to confirm whether he was referring to Atiku Abubakar, 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 maintained that hindsight had completely changed his assessment of Atiku, saying he remains thankful that events did not derail his administration.

“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 added.

Despite the criticism, Obasanjo insisted he harbours no personal bitterness toward 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 e nabled me to achieve what I was able to achieve.”

Obasanjo and Atiku served as Nigeria’s first democratically elected President and Vice President after the end of military rule in 1999, governing under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from 1999 to 2007.

Their relationship, initially seen as one of the strongest political alliances in the country, later deteriorated during Obasanjo’s second term, particularly after Atiku opposed efforts to amend the Constitution to allow a third presidential term.

The disagreement sparked one of the fiercest political rivalries in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, leading to court battles, public accusations of corruption and betrayal, and years of political hostility.

Although both men briefly reconciled ahead of the 2019 presidential election when Obasanjo endorsed Atiku’s presidential bid against former President Muhammadu Buhari, the alliance was short-lived, with both leaders eventually returning to opposing political camps.

Obasanjo has since remained one of Atiku’s strongest critics, repeatedly urging Nigerians to prioritise competence, integrity and national interest when electing future leaders.