I made a mistake in selecting Atiku as my vice president in 1999 – Obasanjo
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that his choice of running partner during his second term as President of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007 was a mistake.
Obasanjo served as military head of state from 1975 to 1979 and as democratically elected president upon the country’s transition to civil administration in 1999.
Speaking to secondary school pupils at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) in Abeokuta, Ogun State, he admitted to making many “real errors” in his life, but claimed God helped him overcome them.
“Choosing my number two when I wanted to be president was one of the blunders I made.” But God saved me because it was a real error,” Obasanjo stated.
From 1999 through 2007, Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential contender, served as Obasanjo’s deputy.
While in government, Obasanjo and Atiku were continually at odds, which almost jeopardized Obasanjo’s re-election effort in 2003.