Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has escalated his war of words with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, accusing him of lacking the electoral strength to have won the 1999 presidential election without support from Northern Nigeria.
Atiku, who spoke with journalists on Wednesday, said Obasanjo could not win either his home state or the South-West during the 1999 election, arguing that Northern voters were instrumental to his emergence as president.
“In 1999, he could not even win his own state or the South-West; it was Arewa that made him President. He possesses no electoral value,” Atiku said.
The former vice president’s remarks came amid a renewed dispute with Obasanjo over their political relationship and the events surrounding the 1999–2007 administration.
Obasanjo had recently described his decision to select Atiku as his running mate in 1999 as the “biggest mistake” of his presidency. He also accused his former deputy of disloyalty and involvement in an alleged plot to impeach him.
