Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has described his decision to select 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 chat with veteran entertainer and activist Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, at the unveiling of Charly Boy’s foundation and memoir, 999: A Memoir in Tribute to Late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, in Lagos.
Responding to a question on the greatest mistake he made while in office, the former president acknowledged that every leader makes mistakes but singled out his choice of vice president as one decision he would not repeat.
“What I have found in my own life is that what could have been all my life… mistakes that could have been fatal, God had taken care of them for me,” Obasanjo said.
When asked by Charly Boy to identify one specific mistake, he 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.”
Pressed further on whether he was referring to Atiku Abubakar, Obasanjo confirmed that he was speaking about his former deputy.
“My vice president. I don’t know what name you want to give him, but my vice president, I mean that,” he said.
The former president noted that his later experiences with Atiku convinced him that he would have made a different choice had he possessed the same knowledge at the time.
“Of course, what I know about him later — well, thank God — because God did not allow his actions and reactions to overwhelm me, or to divert my own focus from Nigeria, or to harm Nigeria even,” he stated.
Obasanjo, however, maintained that he harboured no bitterness towards Atiku despite their political disagreements.
“And there’s no bitterness, because he did things he believed he should do, and God did the things God had to do, which enabled me to achieve what I was able to achieve,” he added.
The former president also reflected on the Nigerian Civil War, rejecting claims that it amounted to genocide. According to him, the military campaign was aimed at preserving Nigeria’s unity, and efforts were made to minimise civilian casualties.
Obasanjo and Atiku were elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 1999 and served together until 2007. Their relationship later deteriorated amid political disagreements during Obasanjo’s second term in office.
The event attracted several prominent Nigerians, including former Commonwealth Secretary-General Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election Peter Obi, businessman Leo Stan Ekeh and veteran broadcaster Bisi Olatilo.
