By Omobolaji Adekunle
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has dismissed allegations by former Ogun State Governor, Chief Olusegun Osoba, that he deceived South-West political leaders ahead of the 2003 general elections, insisting that he never misled anyone.
In a letter dated Thursday, Obasanjo was responding to Osoba’s article titled “How Obasanjo Deceived Us in 2003,” in which the former governor accused him of misleading leaders of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere.
Rejecting the claim, Obasanjo described Osoba’s account as inaccurate, incomplete, and far-fetched, while taking strong exception to being labeled deceitful.
According to the former president, his entry into partisan politics in 1999 followed broad consultations with political figures across the South-West, North, and South-East upon his release from prison.
He disclosed that he was approached by several political groups, including one led by the late Chief Bola Ige and another by the late Jubril Martins-Kuye, before he ultimately chose to join the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Obasanjo wrote that Osoba got many details wrong and omitted crucial context, firmly objecting to the accusation of deceit.
He maintained that key political negotiations during that period were handled by senior leaders of Afenifere and the AD, adding that many of those discussions occurred outside the awareness of South-West governors.
He recounted consulting prominent leaders including Chief Richard Akinjide, Chief S.M. Akinloye, the late Chief Bola Ige, Prof. Oyeleye Oyediran, Sunday Awoniyi, Adamu Ciroma, Prof. Anezi Okoro, and Arthur Mbanefo before formally registering with the PDP.
The former president dismissed Osoba’s suggestion that the AD and Afenifere dictated terms to his administration.
He stressed that his decision to involve both the PDP and the AD in a broad-based government was motivated by national interest and a desire to foster national unity rather than political vulnerability.
Obasanjo also alleged that his former vice president led efforts to impeach the then Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na’Abba, while actively pursuing a presidential ambition from the early days of their administration with the support of certain AD governors.
Concluding his letter, Obasanjo emphasized that politics should prioritize public welfare over personal grievances. He also acknowledged Osoba’s role in establishing the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta by allocating the land for the project during his tenure as governor