Obasanjo says picking Atiku in 1999 was his biggest mistake

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has finally said it publicly, that choosing Atiku Abubakar as his running mate in 1999 was the biggest error of his eight years in power. He made this declaration on Friday in Abeokuta during a fireside chat with Charly Boy at the unveiling of the Charly Boy Foundation. According to Obasanjo, "The man I picked as my running mate, my number two, if I had known him as I came to know him later, I would not have picked him." When Charly Boy asked if he meant Atiku, Obasanjo replied, "My vice president. I don't know what name you want to give him, but my vice president, I mean that."

This is not just old gist, this is a direct hit on Atiku barely a year before the 2027 elections. Only days ago Obasanjo alleged that Atiku tried to bribe the late Speaker Ghali Na'Abba to support his impeachment while they were in office. Atiku has dismissed all of it, saying Obasanjo is playing a hidden political game, that he is actually positioning another South-West man for power despite publicly backing Peter Obi. These two men governed Nigeria together from 1999 to 2007, and their fallout has become one of the longest-running political soap operas in this country.

I have watched this from Ibadan since I was a young engineer, and I still find it fascinating how these titans cannot let go. Obasanjo said there is no bitterness, that Atiku did what he believed and God did what He needed to do. But if there is no bitterness, why bring it up now? The question we should be asking is whether this is about the nation or about two egos that refuse to retire. When will these elders learn that the youths are tired of watching them fight over the same pot of soup?