The bitter political rivalry between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his erstwhile deputy Atiku Abubakar has nothing to do with personal bad blood but everything to do with presidential ambition, according to a senior aide to the former vice president. Demola Olarewaju, who serves as Senior Political Assistant to Atiku, has broken his silence on the decades long feud, offering a candid assessment that places political calculation rather than personal vendetta at the heart of the dispute.
Speaking during a radio interview on Eagle 102.5 FM in Abeokuta on Monday, Olarewaju suggested that Obasanjo remains fundamentally opposed to seeing his former running mate ascend to the presidency. Despite their public clashes and increasingly acrimonious exces, Olarewaju insisted that Atiku continues to regard Obasanjo with considerable respect. The relationship, he argued, reflects a clash of political interests rather than interpersonal hatred. Olarewaju, who appeared alongside Ayodeji Ologun, Executive Director of the Centre for Responsive Governance, painted a picture of two political heavyweights locked in an ideological struggle over Nigeria’s leadership.
The aide went further, questioning what he characterized as Obasanjo’s conviction that no other leader could match his accomplishments or govern Nigeria with comparable effectiveness. According to Olarewaju, this belief has become increasingly evident in the former president’s public statements and political interventions since leaving office in 2007. He described Obasanjo’s post presidential trajectory as a journey of redemption, suggesting the former leader has spent considerable energy attempting to mend fences with various constituencies, particularly among his Yoruba ethnic base.
Recent weeks have witnessed a sharp escalation in hostilities between the two political veterans. Obasanjo recently described his decision to select Atiku as running mate in 1999 as the biggest mistake of his political career, a damning verdict delivered more than two decades after their initial partnership. Beyond the personal criticism, Obasanjo alleged that Atiku was involved in a 2003 plot to impeach him, a charge the former vice president has vehemently rejected. Atiku’s media team responded with equal force, dismissing the allegations as part of what they termed a sustained campaign of lies, deceit and historical distortion orchestrated by Obasanjo.
Atiku has offered his own explanation for the enduring animosity. He maintains that Obasanjo’s resentment originates from his refusal to support a controversial third term bid that would have extended the former president’s tenure beyond constitutional limits. By prioritizing Nigeria’s democratic framework over personal loyalty, Atiku argues he chose principle over political expency. He has also challenged the reliability of evidence presented against him, particularly allegations involving former lawmaker Ghali Na’Abba, who d in 2023 and cannot now respond to or verify the claims attributed to him.
Looking ahead, Olarewaju made clear that despite Obasanjo’s opposition, supporters of the former vice president remain committed to advancing his political ambitions. Ologun, speaking from his position at the Centre for Responsive Governance, emphasized the importance of Nigerians understanding the full truth behind the political theater. As Nigeria continues to grapple with questions of leadership and democratic succession, the unresolved tensions between these two towering figures of Nigerian politics serve as a reminder that personal relationships and institutional ambitions remain inextricably linked in the country’s political landscape. Whether this latest chapter represents merely another episode in an ongoing saga or signals a permanent fracture in what was once a powerful political alliance remains to be seen.
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