During the 1999 presidential election, OBJ claimed that selecting Atiku as his running mate was one of his mistakes.
Olusegun Obasanjo, the former president, claimed that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), must be from the south to succeed Muhammadu Buhari as president of Nigeria.
Why the next president must be from the south:Obasanjo believed that a candidate from the south should succeed Buhari because he is from the north.
Why this story is important:In the 2023 election, Atiku, who served as Obasanjo’s deputy from 1999 to 2007, is the leading northern candidate.
Obasanjo gave a speech over the weekend in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, when he hosted the leaders of the Mzough U Tiv (MUT) from Benue State.
All Obasanjo stated:As per an assertion by his media assistant, Kehinde Akinyemi, Obasanjo said he is on the side of rotational administration, saying power should get back toward the south in 2023.
He advised leaders in the Middle Belt to continue advocating for Nigeria’s rotational presidency and urged Nigerians not to vote based on emotions that could harm the country.
Iorbee Ihagh, the Tiv leader, had earlier asked Obasanjo to support transferring power from the north to the south in his words.
According to Ihagh, the Middle Belt Forum and Mzough u Tiv had decided to support the power shift for true federalism, justice, and fairness.
He expressed hope that the Middle Belt would produce the president in 2031.
Things you ought to know:From 1999 to 2007, Atiku Abubakar served as Obasanjo’s deputy.
After winning their second term in 2003, they broke up, and their relationship deteriorated until Atiku ran for president in 2007 against the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Obasanjo’s chosen successor.
Obasanjo stated earlier this year that one of his mistakes in the 1999 presidential election was selecting former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as his running mate.
