Obasanjo Vs Atiku: Rift Without End

Once partners who ran the country together from 1999 to 2007, the two men have since been locked in a feud that has outlasted parties, presidencies, and peace accords. What began as a power struggle inside Aso Rock has evolved into a generational clash of egos, ideology, and ambition — one that resurfaces with each election cycle through fresh accusations, memoirs, and endorsements.

From Obasanjo’s public claims of betrayal by his former deputy to their uneasy reconciliations and renewed fallings-out, these have shaped party politics, influenced elections, and defined how power is negotiated in Nigeria. Nearly two decades after leaving office, both men remain kingmakers, critics, and protagonists — and neither appears willing to let the other have the last word.

As 2027 approaches, the question is no longer whether they will reconcile. It is whether Nigerian politics can ever move forward without the shadow of the Obasanjo-Atiku feud, writes JAMES KWEN.

Few political relationships in Nigeria’s democratic history have generated as much intrigue, controversy and enduring rivalry as that between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

The jolly good fellows who ushered Nigeria back into democratic rule in 1999 have since become symbols of one of the country’s longest-running political feuds.

More than two decades after they first held the nation’s highest offices together, their differences continue to shape political discourse, influence electoral alliances and redefine power dynamics within Nigeria’s political class.

When Obasanjo emerged as the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in 1999, Atiku, then governor-elect of Adamawa state, was chosen as his running mate. The ticket secured a historic victory, ending years of military rule and marking the beginning of the Fourth Republic.

Initially, the partnership appeared stable. Obasanjo focused on governance and rebuilding Nigeria’s institutions, while Atiku played a significant role in economic reforms, privatisation and attracting investments.

However, beneath the surface, differences over governance, political succession and control of the ruling party gradually widened.

By Obasanjo’s second term, the relationship had deteriorated significantly, with disagreements over policy, appointments and the controversial third-term agenda further deepening mistrust.

The failed constitutional amendment to extend presidential tenure became the defining moment in their fractured relationship.

Although Obasanjo consistently denied sponsoring the third-term bid, many Nigerians believed the proposal enjoyed presidential backing.

Atiku emerged as one of the most prominent figures opposed to the amendment, earning praise from critics of the extension but further straining relations with his principal.

The episode effectively ended whatever political trust remained between the two leaders.

The fallout became clearer ahead of the 2007 elections when Atiku left the PDP after prolonged disagreements with Obasanjo and sought the presidency on the platform of the Action Congress (AC).

Obasanjo, on the other hand, backed the PDP’s presidential candidate, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

From that point onward, the two men found themselves on opposing sides of nearly every major political contest.

Since leaving office, Obasanjo has repeatedly criticised successive administrations, including those supported by Atiku.

Atiku, too, has often responded, directly or indirectly, to Obasanjo’s remarks, insisting that political disagreements should not overshadow democratic principles.

Over the years, Obasanjo has alternated between endorsing and distancing himself from Atiku’s presidential ambitions.

In 2019, the former president publicly backed Atiku’s presidential bid against the then-President Muhammadu Buhari, describing Atiku as capable of rescuing Nigeria.

Yet after that election, the relationship again appeared to cool with both men pursuing separate political paths.

Also ahead of the 2023 presidential election, many expected Obasanjo to support Atiku once more. Still, he threw his weight behind the Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi, arguing that Nigeria needed a new generation of leadership.

The endorsement was viewed as a major setback for Atiku, who had hoped to consolidate support among influential political stakeholders.

Following the election, both leaders maintained differing positions on Nigeria’s political direction, reinforcing perceptions that reconciliation remained unlikely.

The Obasanjo and Atiku dog-and-cat life is becoming fiercest in the build-up to the 2027 general election.

Setting the tone were the recent comments by Akin Osuntokun, a former Political Adviser to ex-President Obasanjo, who disclosed that the former Nigerian leader brokered the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential ticket for Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso.

Osuntokun, who spoke on an interview on ARISE News weeks ago, said the former president remains the principal force behind their joint presidential ticket for the 2027 election.

He dismissed suggestions that Obasanjo was secretly working for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.

Osuntokun maintained that such claims were inconsistent with the former president’s political actions.

He insisted that Obasanjo had instead played a leading role in bringing Obi and Kwankwaso together as running mates under the NDC ticket.

“If you can say that Obasanjo is supporting any ticket, it is the Peter Obi–Kwankwaso ticket. As a matter of fact, he is the principal sponsor of that ticket,” Osuntokun declared.

He argued that allegations linking Obasanjo with Tinubu’s political camp lacked logic, especially considering the former president’s alleged involvement in putting the opposition ticket together.

“So, how do you then suggest that he is secretly working for Tinubu? It does not make sense to me. I think that claim is absolute bunkum. The evidence is in the public domain. Obasanjo is playing a major role in supporting the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket. He was the one who brought the two men together,” he added.

When pressed to confirm whether Obasanjo actually brokered the ticket, Osuntokun stood firmly by his words.

“Yes, of course. That’s what I said. He brokered the ticket between Obi and Kwankwaso. Both of them are quite close to him.

“It is a ticket that makes sense and has the potential to make a significant impact in the 2027 election. I can tell you for free that he was the one who brought the ticket together,” Osuntokun stated.

Also, over the last weekend, Obasanjo described his decision to pick Atiku as running mate in the 1999 presidential election as the biggest mistake of his life.

He spoke in Lagos during a fireside chat with maverick musician and activist Charly Boy at an event unveiling Charly Boy’s foundation and his memoir, “999: A Memoir in Tribute to Late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa”.

According to Obasanjo, with hindsight, he would not have chosen Atiku as vice president.

“I would say the greatest mistake I made was picking Atiku Abubakar as my vice president in 1999,” he said.

The former president added that he was thankful God did not allow Atiku’s actions and overreactions to derail his administration or distract him from governing the country.

“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,” Obasanjo.

Atiku also hit back at his former boss, saying that when Obasanjo had little to his name after leaving prison, he fed and clothed the former military head of state, ensuring he had nothing to lack.

The former vice president insisted that Obasanjo’s latest attack was rooted in his bitterness over the collapse of his third-term agenda years ago.

In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said he watched Obasanjo’s recent interview with sadness rather than anger.

Atiku said he stood by Obasanjo during his years in prison, supported his family, and went further to clothe and care for him after his release before helping to build the political alliances that eventually produced his presidency.

“History records that while Chief Obasanjo was in prison, I stood firmly by him. I supported his family, worked tirelessly with other patriots for his release and never wavered in my belief that he deserved his freedom.

“When he eventually regained his freedom, he had little to his name. I received him, clothed him, ensured he was properly cared for and extended every support necessary to help him regain his footing.

“I am proud that I stood against the third-term agenda. I am proud that I stood by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I have no apology whatsoever for frustrating every attempt to subvert our democracy for personal ambition,” he said.

Atiku maintained that if Obasanjo’s hostility stemmed from his refusal to back an unconstitutional third term, he would wear that resentment as “a badge of honour,” stressing that the Constitution remains supreme and that no individual is bigger than the country.

He argued that the fight against the third-term agenda was never a personal contest between him and Obasanjo but a defence of Nigeria’s democracy, adding that history had already delivered its verdict in favour of the Constitution.

Atiku expressed disappointment that a former president would devote energy to recycling old grudges at a time when Nigeria is grappling with economic hardship, unemployment and insecurity, insisting that the 2027 election should focus on rebuilding the country rather than reopening old wounds.

He said his years of restraint towards Obasanjo were out of respect for the office the former president once occupied, but stressed that such restraint had limits.

“Chief Obasanjo is entitled to his opinions. He is entitled to his personal grievances. What he is not entitled to are his own facts.

“History is stubborn. It cannot be rewritten by bitterness, nor erased by repeated falsehoods. In the end, history will render its verdict—and so will the Nigerian people,” he stated.