Obasanjo: Choosing Atiku as Running Mate Was Biggest Mistake of My Life

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 greatest mistake of his political career.

Obasanjo made the comments during a fireside chat in Lagos with entertainer and activist Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy.

The discussion took place at the unveiling of the Charly Boy Foundation and the launch of Oputa’s memoir, 999: A Memoir in Tribute to Late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa.Obasanjo and Atiku were elected on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform in 1999 and served as president and vice president until 2007.

Reflecting on his time in office, Obasanjo 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,” he stated.

He added that he holds no bitterness over the eventual breakdown of their relationship and that the difficulties that arose did not stop his administration from achieving its goals.

Obasanjo also addressed ongoing questions about his ancestry, insisting that his roots are in Abeokuta, Ogun State, where his family house still stands.

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