Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has stated that his decision to appoint Atiku Abubkar as his Vice President during his tenure remains part of his biggest regrets .
Obasanjo spoke on Friday during the unveiling of Charly Boy’s foundation and memoir, 999: A Memoir in Tribute to Late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, in Lagos.
Obasanjo and Atiku served as Nigeria’s president and vice president for two terms between 1999 and 2007.
However, the relationship between the two men deteriorated during Obasanjo’s second term in government.
He said, “The man I picked as my running mate, my number two, if I had known as I came to know him later, I would not have picked him.”
“I mean my vice-president. What I know 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.”
Olusegun Obasanjo however, claims that he hold no bitterness over what transpired between him and Atiku in the past.
“And then, there is no bitterness because he did things that he believed he should do and God did things He had to do, which made me achieve what I was able to achieve,” he said.
Backstory…
Since leaving office, both men have traded charges of corruption, misuse of power, and political treason.
In his memoir, My Watch, published in 2014, Obasanjo accused Atiku of corruption, treachery, and putting personal ambition ahead of the national interest.
However, Atiku denied the charges, accusing Obasanjo of seeking to rewrite history and portraying himself as a victim of political persecution during their latter years in office.
The verbal skirmishes heated up recently after Obasanjo claimed that Atiku gave the late Ghali Umar Na’Abba, former speaker of the House of Representatives, ₦5 million to launch impeachment procedures against him during his first term in office.
However, reacting, Atiku accused the ex-president of fabricating allegations against him to favour his kinsman ahead of the 2027 elections.
Read Also: Obasanjo Alleges Atiku Funded Impeachment Plot with ₦5 Million
