Obasanjo: How Atiku’s Bid To Topple Me In 2003 Failed

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says his Vice President Atiku Abubakar did not willingly back down in his bid to send him packing in 2003.

Obasanjo and Atiku were president and vice president respectively from 1999 to 2007.

The former president explained that in 2003, Atiku supported Alex Ekwueme for the presidential ticket of then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with him (Atiku) as running mate.

The former president said Atiku only backed down after Ekwueme lost the presidential ticket.

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Obasanjo gave the explanation at the launch of ‘Amazing Grace’, a biography of former Oyo State Governor, Adebayo Alao-Akala on Thursday in Ibadan.

The former president said he felt compelled to give the explanation to correct an aspect of Alao-Akala’s book which stated that Atiku backed down before PDP’s presidential primary election.

He said, “Again, Atiku did not back down as you claimed until Alex Ekwueme was defeated at the primary of PDP in 2003 as Atiku’s agreement with Ekwueme was to be Ekwueme’s running mate and Ekwueme, as President, spending three years and resigning for Atiku to complete the fourth year and then for Atiku to contest election in his own right in 2007.

“It was after the result of the primary that Atiku backed down, if you put it that way, it was when there was no other choice.”