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

Former Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo has described his decision to choose Atiku Abubakar as his running mate in the 1999 presidential election as the biggest mistake he ever made in public life.

Obasanjo made the striking admission on Friday in Lagos during a fireside chat with veteran musician and activist Charly Boy, held to unveil the Charly Boy Foundation and his memoir, 999: A Memoir in Tribute to Late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa.

Looking back on his years in power, Obasanjo said hindsight had changed his assessment of one of the most consequential political partnerships in Nigeria's Fourth Republic.

“I would say the greatest mistake I made was picking Atiku Abubakar as my vice president in 1999,” he said.

The former president, however, said the turbulent relationship that later developed between the two men did not ultimately prevent him from delivering on the objectives he had set for his administration.

He said he remained grateful that the political tensions did not derail his government or distract him from the business of governing.

“There is no bitterness in me over what happened,” Obasanjo said.

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

From running mates to political rivals

Obasanjo and Atiku entered Nigeria's Fourth Republic as political partners, contesting the 1999 presidential election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

They won the election and served together for eight years, with Obasanjo as president and Atiku as vice president from 1999 to 2007.

But the partnership gradually deteriorated, particularly during their second term, as disagreements over political influence, succession and the direction of the administration intensified.

The relationship eventually became one of the defining political rivalries of the era.

Atiku went on to contest the presidency several times after leaving office, while Obasanjo has remained an influential — and often outspoken — figure in Nigerian politics.

Obasanjo's latest comments therefore carry significance beyond a reflection on his time in office. They amount to a rare retrospective admission from a former president about a decision that helped shape the political history of the Fourth Republic.

Obasanjo settles Abeokuta question

The former president also used the occasion to address a long-running debate about his ancestry.

Obasanjo insisted that his parents were from Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, putting to rest, in his own words, questions that have periodically surrounded his roots.

“I still know our family house there,” he said.

The gathering attracted a high-profile audience, including former Commonwealth Secretary-General Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, businessman Leo Stan Ekeh, book reviewer Dr Austin Tam-George and veteran broadcaster Bisi Olatilo.

Ekeh also made a financial contribution of ₦20 million each on behalf of himself, Obasanjo and Anyaoku, according to reports from the event.

A partnership that shaped Nigeria's Fourth Republic

The Obasanjo-Atiku administration was the first civilian government of Nigeria's Fourth Republic, taking power after years of military rule and beginning a new political era in 1999.

Their partnership survived a first term but became increasingly strained during the second.

By the end of their time in office, the relationship had fractured beyond repair, with Atiku eventually leaving the PDP to contest the 2007 presidential election under another platform.

Nearly two decades later, Obasanjo's verdict on the partnership remains blunt.

With the benefit of hindsight, he says he would have made a different choice.

For a political relationship that began with the promise of leading Nigeria into a new democratic era, Obasanjo now considers choosing Atiku as his deputy the decision he most regrets.