I Made A Mistake In Choosing My Vice – Obasanjo

Olusegun Obasanjo, a former president of Nigeria, admitted that while he served as a head of state in 1999 as a civilian, he chose his VP incorrectly.

Obasanjo made this statement while taking questions from secondary school children at a session at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Obasanjo admitted to making numerous “genuine mistakes” in his life while speaking with the students but claimed that God helped him overcome them.

Obasanjo said, “One of the mistakes I made was picking my number two when I wanted to become the president. But because it was a genuine mistake, God saved me.”

Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential candidate, served as Obasanjo’s deputy from 1999 to 2007.

The political team of Obasanjo and Atiku clashed for years over subjects they disagreed on while in office.

When discussing his second mistake, Obasanjo claimed that it occurred when General Sani Abacha, a late military ruler, was going to arrest him and the American Embassy offered him asylum.

Obasanjo claimed that had God not intervened during his imprisonment, he would have been killed.

“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 asylum. I said no. It could have been a mistake because I could have lost my life,” Obasanjo said.

Obasanjo believed that God had shielded him from a variety of potential mistakes.

Obasanjo raised concern about whether young people could run the country, saying that if the existing pattern in Nigeria continues, young people may never hold political power.

The former president lamented the fact that candidates for national office are often between 70 and 80 years old, notwithstanding the “Not Too Young to Run” campaign.

He added that the amount of money required to enter politics could prevent youths from achieving leadership positions and wondered, “How can the youths run?”