Former President Olusegun Obasanjo was wrong to publicly criticise his former deputy, Atiku Abubakar, says former Jigawa governor Sule Lamido. He said Mr Abubakar was a major contributor to the platform upon which Mr Obasanjo ran for office in 1999.

Messrs Obasanjo and Abubakar were elected as president and vice president respectively on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party but they endured a fractured relationship that has yet to heal since their reign.

“Obasanjo is a senior man, somebody who is elderly. He has the right to talk down on his own children but that should be an in-house accusation. He can say Atiku you are this or that but when he says it publicly to the country he led, it is wrong,” said Mr Lamido in an interview with Vanguard newspaper. 

Mr Lamido was reacting to a statement by Mr Obasanjo a few weeks ago wherein the former Nigerian leader said making Mr Atiku his deputy was a grave mistake but God saved him. 

“I don’t want to sound rude but when PDP was formed, Obasanjo was in prison and the formation of the PDP had history,” Mr Lamido, a longstanding politician said. “We had a group led by Atiku and many others and also the progressives as symbolised by Solomon Lar, Abubakar Rimi, Jim Nwobodo and many others. It is right to say that when PDP was formed, Obasanjo was not politically known.”

Messrs Obasanjo and Abubakar fell out after the latter, looking to succeed his principal, truncated his unconstitutional third term bid. 

Though attempts have been made to mend their relationship over the years, the portrayal of Mr Abubakar as a deeply corrupt politician by Mr Obasanjo continues to be a sore point in their relationship.