Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed that he made a mistake while picking his deputy (Atiku Abubakar) when he ruled as a civilian Head of State in 1999.
Obasanjo disclosed this at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta, Ogun, while fielding questions from secondary school students in a programme.
While interacting with the students, Obasanjo revealed that he had made many “genuine mistakes” in his life; saying, however, that God made him overcome them.
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“One of the mistakes I made was picking my number two (Atiku Abubakar) when I wanted to become the president. But because it was a genuine mistake, God saved me,” Obasanjo said.
Recall that the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, was Obasanjo’s second-in-command from 1999 to 2007.
While in office, the duo of Obasanjo and Atiku disagreed on issues as they went up in arms against each other for years.
Speaking about the second mistake, Obasanjo said he refused an asylum offered to him by the American Embassy when he was about to be arrested by the late former military dictator, General Sani Abacha.
According to Obasanjo, he would have lost his life during the period of his incarceration, but God saved him.
“When Abacha wanted to arrest me, I was told by the American ambassador that they will arrest me and that America has asked that I should be given an asylum.
“I said no. It could have been a mistake because I could have lost my life,” Obasanjo said.