Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s Senior Political Assistant, Demola Olarewaju, has described the lingering disagreement between his principal and former President Olusegun Obasanjo as political rather than personal.
Olarewaju spoke on Monday during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State, where he appeared alongside the Executive Director of the Centre for Responsive Governance, Ayodeji Ologun.
NEWSNGR recalls that Obasanjo had recently described his decision to pick Atiku as his running mate in 1999 as the “biggest mistake” of his political life.
The former President also alleged that Atiku was involved in a plot to impeach him in 2003, claiming that the former Vice President paid ₦5m to the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Umar Na’Abba, to commence the process.
Atiku, through his media aides, rejected the allegations, describing them as part of a long-running campaign of “lies, deceit and historical distortion” by Obasanjo.
The former Vice President also attributed Obasanjo’s resentment towards him to his refusal to support the former President’s bid for a third term in office, saying he had chosen the Constitution and Nigeria’s democratic interests over personal loyalty.
Olarewaju, however, said Atiku continued to hold Obasanjo in high regard despite their political differences.
“The relationship between the former President Obasanjo and Atiku, in my view as a Nigerian who witnessed the administration and the post-administration, is the fact that they do not seem to have a personal issue. It is clear from how Atiku holds Obasanjo in high esteem,” he said.
He, however, argued that the disagreement between the two former leaders was politically motivated, alleging that Obasanjo did not want Atiku to become President.
“The issue between them is political and, for reasons best known to Obasanjo, it is very clear and obvious that he does not want Atiku Abubakar to ever be President of the Federal Republic,” Olarewaju said.
He also questioned what he described as Obasanjo’s perception that no other leader could equal his achievements or govern Nigeria better than he did.
“I think another thing that has become very clear is his instability about the opinion that Obasanjo holds that nobody can meet up with his achievement and nobody can govern Nigeria better than him,” he said.
Reflecting on Obasanjo’s political activities since leaving office in 2007, Olarewaju described the former President’s journey as a “journey of redemption”.
He argued that Obasanjo had, over the years, sought to rebuild his relationship with the Yoruba people, linking the development partly to his role during the Nigerian Civil War and his subsequent political interventions in the South-West.
Olarewaju also compared Obasanjo’s relationship with successive administrations, claiming that the former President was more critical of the governments of former Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari than he had been of the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
He further downplayed Obasanjo’s political influence in the South-West, particularly his ability to determine electoral outcomes in the region.
Despite Obasanjo’s opposition to Atiku’s political ambition, Olarewaju said supporters of the former Vice President remained committed to his campaign.
“We are determined that this opposition won’t affect Atiku’s campaign,” he said.
Also speaking, Ologun said Obasanjo’s position on Atiku had changed considerably over the years.
He recalled that Obasanjo spoke positively about Atiku in the build-up to the 2019 presidential election, particularly praising his understanding of governance.
According to Ologun, Atiku’s performance as Vice President during the Obasanjo administration also reflected a strong working relationship between the two men.
“In 2019, Obasanjo spoke well about Atiku, saying that he knows well about running the affairs of the country,” Ologun said.
He added that Atiku and Obasanjo had worked closely while in government, with the former Vice President playing an effective role in the administration.
Ologun said it was therefore significant that Obasanjo opposed Atiku’s presidential bid in 2023 and had continued to oppose him.
“But no matter what happens, we want Nigerians to understand the truth that Atiku never did a thing to Obasanjo. Obasanjo is attacking Atiku for political reasons; he doesn’t want him to become the president,” Ologun added.
