Obasanjo reveals why he picked Jonathan instead of Odili for Yar’adua
Former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed he never wanted to pick Goodluck Jonathan as late President Muhammadu Buhari’s running mate.
In a book, ‘Against The Run Of Play’, written by a former Yar’Adua’s spokesman, Mr Segun Adeniyi, Obasanjo revealed that he wanted a former governor of Rivers State, Peter Odili but some hurdles made it impossible.
“Of course, Jonathan was not my first choice as running mate to Yar’Adua; it was Dr. Peter Odili. But whether by fate or some conspiracy, Odili had hurdles that made it impossible for him to take that position. That was how I settled for Jonathan,” Obasanjo said
The late Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, once said in an interview that Obasanjo chose Jonathan to be Yar’adua’s deputy in the 2007 election because he, Obasanjo, wanted to stop his former deputy, Atiku Abubakar, from running for president.
“Olusegun Obasanjo told me that since Atiku and I wanted to take his job, that it would be over his dead body, and that unless he died, Atiku cannot be president of Nigeria.
“Obasanjo said since Atiku had picked me as his running mate, he would make sure that he dealt with and disgraced us. He said he was going to use my deputy to rubbish me before everybody,” Alamieyeseigha had told journalists.
