Dele Momodu, a former presidential candidate and prominent figure in the opposition coalition, has revealed that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had an agreement to succeed ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo after the latter’s first term in office.
According to Momodu, the plan was for Atiku to take over the presidency after Obasanjo’s initial four-year term. However, the arrangement eventually collapsed, leading to Obasanjo stripping Atiku of his constitutional privileges.
He noted that Atiku had garnered significant backing from several former governors to actualize the deal.
Momodu, a former chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), made the disclosure in an article shared via his Facebook page.
Atiku served as Nigeria’s Vice President from 1999 to 2007. Since leaving office, he has made multiple attempts to secure the presidency, most recently finishing second behind President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 general election.
An excerpt from Momodu’s post reads:
“The deal was that he would take over after their first term in office, but it fell through despite overwhelming support from a majority of the governors.
He still respected his boss and managed the situation during the second term, even after being stripped of most of his constitutional roles. He accepted the outcome with remarkable calm.
Since then, he has pursued successful and well-managed business ventures, unlike many of his peers who struggle outside of politics.
He has the Midas touch and is involved in various profitable enterprises. Nigeria would be in a better state if more of our leaders had similar focus and productivity.”
