Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has described his decision to choose Atiku Abubakar as his running mate in the 1999 presidential election as the greatest mistake of his political career.
Obasanjo made the remark on Friday during a fireside chat with veteran entertainer and activist Charly Boy at the unveiling of the Charly Boy Foundation and his memoir, “999: A Memoir in Tribute to Late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa,” held in Lagos.
Reflecting on his time in office, the former president said that, with the benefit of hindsight, 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,” Obasanjo said.
Despite their eventual political fallout, Obasanjo said he harboured no bitterness toward his former deputy, adding that he remained focused on governance throughout his administration.
“There is no bitterness in me over what happened. Despite everything, I was able to achieve what I set out to achieve while in power,” he stated.
The former president also addressed long-standing questions about his ancestry, reaffirming that his parents were from Abeokuta, Ogun State.
“I still know our family house there,” he said.
The event was attended by several prominent Nigerians, including former Commonwealth Secretary-General Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), business mogul Leo Stan Ekeh, veteran broadcaster Bisi Olatilo, and other distinguished guests.
Obasanjo and Atiku served as President and Vice President under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from 1999 to 2007, but their relationship later deteriorated over political disagreements during their second term in office.
