Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has called his choice of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as his running mate in the 1999 presidential election the biggest mistake of his life.
Obasanjo spoke on Friday in Lagos during a fireside chat with maverick musician and activist Charly Boy. The gathering marked the unveiling of Charly Boy’s foundation and his memoir, “999: A Memoir in Tribute to Late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa”.
Looking back, Obasanjo said he would not have selected Atiku as vice president.
“I would say the greatest mistake I made was picking Atiku Abubakar as my vice president in 1999,” he said.
The former president also said he remained grateful that God did not allow Atiku’s actions and overreactions to derail his government or take his attention away from leading the country.
“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.”
Obasanjo also spoke about the debate over his ancestry, saying both his parents came from Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
“I still know our family house there,” he said.
Among those at the event were Chief Emeka Anyaoku, former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth; Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress, NDC; businessman Leo Stan Ekeh, who donated N20 million each on behalf of Obasanjo and Chief Emeka Anyaoku; book reviewer Dr Austin Tam-George; veteran broadcaster Bisi Olatilo; and other dignitaries.
Obasanjo and Atiku were elected on the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP ticket and served from 1999 to 2007. Their relationship later broke down over political disagreements during their second term.
