Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that choosing former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as his running mate in the 1999 presidential election remains the biggest political mistake of his career.
Obasanjo made the statement in Lagos during a fireside chat with veteran entertainer Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, at the unveiling of the Charly Boy Foundation and the presentation of his memoir, 999: A Memoir in Tribute to Late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa.
Obasanjo and Atiku were elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 1999 and served together as president and vice president until the end of their tenure in 2007.
Looking back on his years in office, the former president said that, with the benefit of hindsight, he would not have chosen Atiku as his vice-presidential candidate.
“I would say the greatest mistake I made was picking Atiku Abubakar as my vice president in 1999,” Obasanjo said.
Despite their eventual political fallout, Obasanjo stressed “that he harbours no bitterness over the eventual breakdown of their relationship, adding that the challenges arising from it did not prevent his administration from achieving its goals”.
He also addressed longstanding speculation about his ancestry, maintaining that his roots are firmly in Abeokuta, Ogun State. According to him, his family’s ancestral home remains in the town, underscoring his heritage.
