The long-running feud between two of Nigeria’s most powerful political figures has taken another dramatic turn, as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar fires back hard at his former boss, Olusegun Obasanjo.
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If you thought the political drama between Olusegun Obasanjo and Atiku Abubakar had finally cooled down, think again. The former Vice President has come out swinging after Obasanjo reportedly declared that choosing Atiku as his running mate in the historic 1999 elections was the biggest mistake of his presidency.
Atiku’s response? Essentially — if your bitterness towards me is rooted in my refusal to hand you a third term in office, then wear that resentment like a crown, because I certainly will.
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The Beef That Never Dies
For many Nigerians, the Obasanjo-Atiku fallout is one of the most talked-about political estrangements in our nation’s history. What started as a powerful political partnership — the duo that shepherded Nigeria’s return to democratic governance in 1999 — gradually crumbled into open rivalry, public insults, and bitter accusations.
Obasanjo and Atiku have been trading blows, both literally and figuratively in the political arena, for years. But Obasanjo’s latest claim that picking Atiku was his greatest presidential blunder appears to have struck a nerve deep enough to draw a sharp, unapologetic response.
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Atiku’s Measured But Pointed Clap Back
Rather than trading insults or descending into mudslinging, Atiku took the high road — but made sure his message landed with full force.
In his response, the former Vice President essentially challenged Obasanjo to look inward. If the source of all this resentment, he argued, is that he — Atiku — refused to support an unconstitutional third term agenda*, then he has absolutely no apologies to offer. In fact, he wears that so-called “mistake” as a *badge of honour.
This is a significant statement. Atiku is essentially telling Nigerians: I chose the Constitution over loyalty to one man, and I will never regret it.
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A Reminder of the Third Term Saga
For those who may have forgotten — or are too young to remember — Nigeria was rocked in the mid-2000s by what became known as the Third Term Agenda. There were strong indications and widespread allegations that President Obasanjo was working behind the scenes to amend Nigeria’s constitution to allow him run for a third term in office.
The bid ultimately failed, thanks in large part to resistance from the National Assembly and key political figures — Atiku among them. At the time, Atiku’s opposition to the move was seen as a direct betrayal by Obasanjo, and their relationship never recovered.
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Nigerians React
As expected, Nigerians on social media have had plenty to say. Many have sided with Atiku on this particular point, noting that regardless of one’s opinion of the former VP, blocking an unconstitutional power grab was the right thing to do.
Others, however, have pointed out that both men are far from saints in Nigeria’s political landscape, and that the back-and-forth between them says more about the transactional nature of Nigerian politics than anything else.
One Twitter user summed it up perfectly:
> “Obasanjo and Atiku are two sides of the same naira note. The fight is real, but the hypocrisy is even realer.”
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The Bigger Picture
Beyond the personal drama, this exchange touches on something much deeper in Nigeria’s democratic journey — the question of institutional loyalty versus personal loyalty.
Atiku’s position, at least as he presents it, is that his allegiance was always to the Constitution and the Nigerian people, not to one man’s ambition. Whether you believe him or not depends largely on your own political leanings, but the principle itself is one every Nigerian should hold dear.
As Nigeria continues to navigate its democratic path, the Obasanjo-Atiku saga serves as a reminder that power is fleeting, political alliances are fragile, and history always has a way of keeping score.
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What do you think? Was Atiku right to oppose Obasanjo’s third term bid? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.
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