Obasanjo Says Choosing Atiku as Vice President Was His Biggest Political Mistake

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has described his decision to select Atiku Abubakar as his vice president in 1999 as the biggest political mistake of his career, saying he remains grateful that God prevented the country from suffering because of that decision.

Obasanjo made the remarks during an interview where he reflected on some of the defining moments of his administration and the choices he made while serving as Nigeria’s president.

Without initially mentioning Atiku by name, the former president said the individual he picked as his deputy turned out to be someone he would never have selected if he had known him better at the time.

“The man I picked as my running mate and number two, if I had known him as I came to know him later, I would not have picked him.”

When asked directly if he was referring to Atiku Abubakar, Obasanjo confirmed it without hesitation.

“My vice president. I don’t know what name you want to give him, but my vice president. And I mean that.”

Obasanjo Says God Prevented Harm to Nigeria

Obasanjo further claimed that events during their years in office could have distracted his administration and negatively affected the country if not for divine intervention.

Although he did not reveal specific incidents or allegations, he insisted that God prevented those actions from succeeding.

“What I knew about him later makes me thank God, because God did not allow his actions and reactions to overwhelm me, or to divert my focus from Nigeria, or to harm Nigeria.”

The former president also stressed that despite their political differences, he does not hold any personal grudge against Atiku.

According to him, everyone acted based on their own convictions, while God ensured that his administration remained focused on delivering its objectives.

“There is no bitterness because, well, he did things that he believed he should do, and God did things that God had to do, which made me able to achieve what I was able to achieve.”

From Political Allies to Rivals

Obasanjo and Atiku were elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 1999, marking the beginning of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic after years of military rule.

The pair served two consecutive terms in office from 1999 to 2007, but their relationship gradually collapsed during their second term.

Political disagreements, particularly over Obasanjo‘s reported third-term agenda, placed both leaders on opposing sides. Atiku openly resisted the proposal, leading to a prolonged political crisis that eventually resulted in his exit from the PDP ahead of the 2007 general election.

Since then, both politicians have remained prominent figures in Nigerian politics while often finding themselves on opposite sides of major national political debates.

Obasanjo Has Repeated the Claim Before

This is not the first time Obasanjo has publicly expressed regret over selecting Atiku as his deputy.

In 2022, while addressing students during a public event in Abeokuta, the former president similarly described appointing Atiku as one of the genuine mistakes of his public life, maintaining that God spared him from the consequences of that decision.

His latest comments reinforce that long-standing position and have once again drawn attention to one of Nigeria’s most notable political fallouts.

As of the time of filing this report, Atiku Abubakar has not publicly responded to Obasanjo’s latest remarks.