Ogun politics: Obasanjo speaks on alleged role in Osoba’s 2023 governorship re-election loss

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has dismissed a recent claim by Olusegun Osoba, former governor of Ogun, accusing him of deceiving leaders of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) ahead of the 2003 general election.

Osoba had alleged that Obasanjo deceived AD governors and Afenifere leaders during political negotiations preceding the 2003 elections.

In a letter issued in Abeokuta, Ogun state capital, on Thursday, titled “Reply to Your Inaccurate Posture: How Obasanjo Deceived Us in 2003, Obasanjo said Osoba got many things wrong in his article published in The Legal Observer on July 20, 2026.

“Your presentation in your write-up was far-fetched, to put it mildly,” Obasanjo wrote.

“But before I go further, I take strong and serious objection to your calling me a deceit because I deceived nobody.

“I always presented my case and all issues as I had them and as I understood them, no matter whose ox is gored. There were issues you did not know or understand because, as you pointed out, they were above your head.

“They were handled by your elders in the Alliance for Democracy (AD) party and Afenifere. And there were issues that you governors of the South-West kept away from me which normally should be discussed or raised with me but were raised or discussed somewhere else.

“I would not say that you were diabolical or deceitful. You chose what you would do and you did what you chose. Others could also choose differently.”

The former president said after he was released from prison, many people who visited to congratulate him urged him to return to government.

“I paid no attention initially because I had a serious family matter: my children’s schools to attend to,” he said.

“The first group was led by Lawan Katsina to me on my Ota farm. I received them, thanked them and promised to think about their invitation.”

He said the second group was led by the late S. M. Afolabi, who was deputy governor to the late Bola Ige, while the third was led by Martins Kuye, adding that the last two groups were Yoruba-led.

The former president said he told them that the circle needed to be widened and enlarged.

“I believed that the two groups included Afenifere and non-Afenifere. You did not know that I had these approaches, contacts or invitations,” he said.

Obasanjo said based on the approaches, he embarked on consultations across the south-west, south-east and north.

Obasanjo said following the consultations, he decided to take interest in party formations, and the role Bola Ige was playing at the time.

“Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) attracted my attention and my interest, and I was being regularly posted,” he recalled.

“After the formation of the parties, I formally joined PDP. I continued my consultation and campaigns at the same time.”

The former president said politics, for him, is about the welfare and well-being of the people and should not be driven by personal bitterness or acrimony.

Obasanjo added that Osoba’s decision to play politics differently should not lead to hatred, enmity or antagonism.

“It is a matter of ideas, policies, competition and choice,” he said.

The former president said his political philosophy was built around constant communication and expanding relationships, adding that he believed adversaries could be turned into friends.

He said shortly after assuming office, he appointed south-west PDP governorship candidates who lost the 1999 elections into positions at the federal level.

Obasanjo said he met with the defeated governorship candidates and urged them to begin working towards winning back the support of the Yoruba people.

The former president said the engagement was one of several efforts he made during his first term to strengthen political cooperation in the south-west.

‘I WASN’T PART OF ANY DEAL AD GOVERNORS HAD WITH ATIKU’

While recounting his days as president, Obasanjo claimed that former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar had been preparing for his presidential ambition from the beginning of their administration.

“From the first day as Vice-President, he raised campaigners for his presidency,” Obasanjo said.

“It was all noted, recorded and reported to me by my Chief of Staff, a professional intelligence officer,” he said.

“The game continued to be played on with me treating it with contempt as I have committed no impeachable offence except my Vice-President who wanted to take over by hook or by crook.”

“It was President Shagari who, on his own volition, asked me about impeachment and I told him that for me, there was absolutely nothing in it. He requested for my permission to handle it and, of course, I gave him the go-ahead.”

He challenged Osoba to explain what he would have been remorseful about if he were in his position.

Obasanjo rejected Osoba’s description of the political situation surrounding his administration, saying the former governor underestimated the support base he had at the time.

He also questioned Osoba’s account of a meeting allegedly held at his farm with Ayo Adebanjo, the late former leader of Afenifere, where he said certain demands were presented to him.

“My dear brother Olusegun Osoba, I don’t know what would best describe what you claimed was presented to me on my farm with Egbon Ayo Adebanjo leading: hyperbole, presumption, disregard, takeover or what?” he said.

He said it would have been unreasonable for a small group to dictate to a government that had an executive council, national assembly, political party and elected governors.

“Six to dictate to thirty is ridiculous,” Obasanjo said.

“I would not say that you could not say all those things, but I may listen and in politeness not answer back but you should know I would not accept such dictation if you presented it. For you to present such to me was to grossly underrate me.”

He also alleged that after the failure of the impeachment move against him, then Vice-President Atiku Abubakar pursued a two-track political strategy involving the late former Vice-President Alex Ekwueme and the AD governors in the south-west ahead of the 2003 election.

“When he failed in the impeachment exercise, he made a two-track approach: one to go with Alex Ekwueme and Alex to hand over to him in the third year of his presidency; second is for the six AD Governors of South-West not to have competition from any other party in 2003 so that in 2007, you would all yield the field to my Vice-President,” he said.

Obasanjo alleged that the AD governors accepted the arrangement, adding that he was wrongly accused of supporting the plan.

“You were all convinced of this anti-democratic plan and you all fell for it. I was told that I was said to be selling the idea and if that was said of me, it was a lie,” he said.

He accused Osoba and other AD leaders of failing to verify the claims with him, saying they chose to engage with his vice-president instead.

“Have no dealing with Obasanjo as President but deal with his Vice-President and you would get the best that was clever political move,” he said.

Obasanjo also recalled Osoba’s previous political contest against the late Shehu Yar’Adua during the Social Democratic Party (SDP) era, saying he had been told how Yar’Adua almost defeated him in Abeokuta.

The former president said Yar’Adua was his protégé, noting that he understood the political strategies employed by him.

“Your loss or defeat in 2003 was genuine in all the six States except the one where the figures were successfully and murderously changed as Chief Tinubu, the Head of Service in Lagos State then, accurately reported to me,” he said.

Obasanjo said he accepted the outcome of the election as part of what God allowed, adding that information reaching him suggested that some AD candidates did not campaign enough.

“From information that reached me from the political field, you barely campaigned and at the tail end of the campaign, you went on TV to apologise to the people for your arrogance and informed them that the starch in your agbada caused your arrogant appearance,” he said.

Obasanjo also criticised what he described as the tribal nature of Afenifere’s politics, saying he had never supported ethnic-based politics.

“Afenifere and its political party never rose beyond tribal cul de sac. There is lesson for all in that. And it would appear that once you were not an AD or Afenifere member, you would be a liar or a deceiver,” he said.

“I have never believed in tribal politics.”

He said he sympathised with some Afenifere leaders, including Chief Gani Daudu, Chief Abraham Adesanya and Chief Ayo Adebanjo, who he said expressed regrets before their deaths.

Obasanjo said the values held by the founding leaders of Afenifere were different from what some of their successors later embraced.

“What they cherished, taught, believed and practised were not what their proteges accepted, believed and practised,” he said.

He also said Afenifere leaders did not congratulate him after he was released from prison or after he became president, describing the decision as petty.

“Did it mean anything to me? No. I did not even know of it until I was told that they held a meeting of Afenifere to decide such pettiness. How mean!” he said.

Obasanjo urged Osoba to reflect on his political journey, saying humility and gratitude remained important regardless of political positions.

“You have lessons to learn: you have many things to understand and you have thanks to give to God and to give men and women,” he said.

He added that political disagreements should not destroy personal relationships.

“In politics, no one should be ignored or disregarded and politics may end, relationships may live till life’s end,” Obasanjo said.

The former president also said his decisions as president were not based on party affiliation, citing his push for governors to acquire land and build houses in Abuja as an example.

“Party consideration was not involved. You were driven to believe as I believed also that it was necessary to develop Abuja,” he said.