Obasanjo: Choosing Atiku as My Running Mate Was the Biggest Mistake of My Political Career

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has described his decision to choose Atiku Abubakar as his running mate in the 1999 presidential election as the greatest mistake of his political career.

Obasanjo made the remark on Friday in Lagos during a fireside chat with Charly Boy at the unveiling of Charly Boy’s foundation and his memoir, 999: A Memoir in Tribute to Late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa.

Reflecting on his years in office, the former president said his experience with Atiku taught him a hard lesson about the importance of carefully choosing trusted allies for positions of leadership.

Obasanjo noted that although Atiku served as vice president throughout his administration from 1999 to 2007, subsequent developments in their relationship convinced him that selecting him as his running mate was a costly political misjudgment.

The comment is expected to reignite discussions about the long-running political rift between the two leaders, whose relationship deteriorated towards the end of the Obasanjo administration and has remained strained ever since.