Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has rejected allegations by former Ogun State Governor, Chief Olusegun Osoba, that he deceived leaders of the defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD) during political negotiations ahead of the 2003 general elections, insisting that he never misled anyone.
Responding to Osoba’s recent account of the events leading to the 2003 elections, Obasanjo described the claims as inaccurate and said many of the issues raised by the former governor were either misunderstood or handled by senior AD and Afenifere leaders without the knowledge of state governors.
“I take strong exception to your calling me deceitful because I deceived nobody,” Obasanjo stated in a letter to Osoba, maintaining that he had always presented issues as he understood them and never concealed his intentions.
The former president explained that his decision to invite the AD to participate in what he described as a broad-based national government after his 1999 election was driven by the desire to foster national unity and not because of political weakness.
According to him, the arrangement was aimed at promoting stability and inclusiveness at a critical period in Nigeria’s democratic journey.
Obasanjo also disputed Osoba’s version of events surrounding the alleged impeachment plot against him during his first term in office.
He said the impeachment move did not originate from the opposition but from within his own administration, alleging that his then vice president encouraged the process while simultaneously pursuing his own presidential ambition.
“The game continued to be played on with me treating it with contempt as I had committed no impeachable offence,” he wrote.
On the outcome of the 2003 elections, Obasanjo dismissed suggestions that the Presidency manipulated the defeat of AD governors across the South-West.
He maintained that the losses reflected the political realities of the time, arguing that the elections were genuine in all six states except one where results were allegedly altered through violence.
He further accused some AD leaders of entering into political arrangements with his vice president without consulting him, saying they accepted certain claims without seeking clarification from him directly.
Obasanjo also reiterated his long-standing opposition to ethnic politics, stressing that he had never believed Nigeria’s presidency should be viewed through a tribal lens.
Despite his disagreement with Osoba’s account, the former president commended the ex-governor for his contributions to Ogun State and acknowledged his role in allocating the land on which the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library was built, describing it as a lasting legacy for the state. (Vanguard News)