Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Friday, declared that he regretted picking Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as his running mate in 1999.
Obasanjo spoke during a fireside chat with Charles Oputa (Charly Boy) in Lagos at the unveiling of Charly Boy’s foundation and his memoir: ‘999: A Memoir in Tribute to Late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa’.
Obasanjo was president from 1999 to 2007.
Atiku was his deputy.
During Obasanjo’s second term in office, they became political enemies.
The former president said he thanked God that Atiku was never allowed to harm Nigeria under his watch.
“The man I picked as my running mate, my number two, if I had known as I came to know him later, I would not have picked him.
“I mean my vice-president. What I know about him later makes me thank God because God did not allow his actions and reactions to overwhelm me or to divert my focus from Nigeria or to harm Nigeria.
“And then, there is no bitterness because he did things that he believed he should do and God did things He had to do, which made me achieve what I was able to achieve,” he said.
For the 2027 election, Atiku is the presidential candidate of ADC. Obasanjo is not supporting him.
It is strongly believed the former president is backing Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) to wrest power from the APC candidate, President Bola Tinubu, who is seeking a second term in office.
