Picking Atiku as vice president greatest mistake of my life – Obasanjo

Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has declared that choosing Atiku Abubakar as his running mate for the 1999 presidential election was the biggest mistake of his life. Obasanjo made this candid admission on Friday in Lagos during a fireside chat with musician and activist Charly Boy. The event was organized to launch Charly Boy’s foundation and his memoir.

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I would say the greatest mistake I made was picking Atiku Abubakar as my vice president in 1999.

Reflecting on the past, Obasanjo stated that with hindsight, he would not have selected Abubakar as vice president. "I would say the greatest mistake I made was picking Atiku Abubakar as my vice president in 1999," he said. He added that he was thankful to God that Abubakar's actions and overreactions did not impede his administration or distract him from governing the nation.

Despite the strained political differences that later emerged between them during their second term in office, Obasanjo asserted that there was no bitterness. "Despite everything, I was able to achieve what I set out to achieve while in power," he remarked. The former president also addressed persistent questions about his origins, confirming that his parents were from Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, and that he still knows his family home there.

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There is no bitterness in me over what happened.

The event, which celebrated Charly Boy’s foundation and memoir, drew several notable personalities. These included Chief Emeka Anyaoku, former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth; Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress; business mogul Leo Stan Ekeh, who made significant donations; book reviewer Dr Austin Tam-George; and veteran broadcaster Bisi Olatilo. Obasanjo and Abubakar served together as president and vice president on the Peoples Democratic Party platform from 1999 to 2007.

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Despite everything, I was able to achieve what I set out to achieve while in power.