Choosing Atiku, My Biggest Mistake — Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has described his decision to select former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as his running mate in the 1999 presidential election as the biggest mistake of his presidency, saying he would never have made the choice had he known then what he later discovered about his former deputy. The remark marks the latest escalation in the long-running political rift between the two former allies.

Obasanjo made the statement during an interview while reflecting on his years in office between 1999 and 2007. Speaking on mistakes he made as president, he acknowledged that every leader makes errors but insisted that choosing Atiku as his vice president remained the decision he regretted the most. He said God had helped him avoid mistakes that could have been fatal to his administration.

Pressed to identify his greatest mistake, Obasanjo replied that it was selecting "the man I picked as my running mate, my number two." He added that if he had known Atiku's character as well as he came to know it during their time in office, he would never have chosen him for the position.

Obasanjo and Atiku served together between 1999 and 2007 before their relationship deteriorated during the latter part of the administration. Their disagreement centred on several political issues, including the controversial third-term constitutional amendment proposal, after which Atiku left the Peoples Democratic Party and contested the 2007 presidential election on a different platform. Since then, both men have repeatedly exchanged public criticisms over their years in government.

The latest remarks have generated fresh political debate ahead of the 2027 general election, with analysts viewing them as another chapter in the enduring rivalry between two of Nigeria's most influential political figures. Atiku had not publicly responded to Obasanjo's comments at the time of reporting.