Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has described his decision to choose former Vice President **Atiku Abubakar> as his running mate in the 1999 presidential election as the biggest mistake of his political career.

Obasanjo made the remark on Friday in Lagos during the unveiling of maverick musician and activist Charly Boy’s foundation and his memoir, 999: A Memoir in Tribute to Late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa.

Responding to a question on the greatest mistake he made while serving as president, Obasanjo said he regretted selecting his deputy, adding that he would never have made the choice if he had known Atiku as well as he came to know him later.

“The man I picked as my running mate, my number two—if I had known him as I came to know him later, I would not have picked him,” he said.

When Charly Boy sought clarification on whether he was referring to Atiku, Obasanjo replied: “My vice president. I don’t know what name you want to give him, but my vice president. If I had known him as I came to know him later, I would not have picked him.”

Despite the criticism, the former president insisted he harboured no bitterness towards his former deputy.

“Thank God his actions and reactions did not overwhelm me or divert my focus from Nigeria. There is no bitterness. He did what he believed he should do, and God did what He needed to do, which enabled me to achieve what I was able to achieve,” he said.

Obasanjo and Atiku served together between 1999 and 2007, but their relationship deteriorated during their second term in office amid a bitter political fallout that culminated in a public split.

The former president has repeatedly expressed regret over his choice of Atiku as vice president. In June 2022, while addressing participants at the National Exhibition and Awards organised by Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship (SAGE) in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Obasanjo described the decision as one of the genuine mistakes of his public life.

“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,” he had said.

His latest remarks come barely a week after both men exchanged words over allegations contained in Obasanjo’s newly released memoir. The former president had alleged that Atiku offered the late former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Umar Na’Abba, N5 million to support an alleged impeachment plot against him ahead of the 2003 elections.

Atiku dismissed the allegation as baseless and unfair, arguing that the late lawmaker was no longer alive to respond to the claim.

At the Lagos event, Obasanjo also reflected on the Nigerian Civil War, rejecting claims that the conflict amounted to genocide and maintaining that the military campaign was aimed at preserving Nigeria’s unity.

“The civil war was traumatic to all Nigerians. It hurt some maybe a little bit harder than others depending on where they were, but the civil war was bad for all Nigerians,” he said.

Recalling the recapture of Owerri during the war, Obasanjo said he deliberately avoided bombing the city to minimise civilian casualties.

“I did not drop a single bomb inside Owerri because it would have been destructive and would have killed innocent civilians. I dropped my bombs short of Owerri and beyond Owerri to warn people that we were coming,” he said.

The former president also addressed questions about his ancestry, reaffirming that his parents hailed from Abeokuta, Ogun State, where, according to him, his family home still stands.

Among dignitaries at the event were former Commonwealth Secretary-General Emeka Anyaoku, former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, businessman Leo Stan Ekeh, author and reviewer Austin Tam-George, and veteran broadcaster **Bisi Olatilo>.