Media entrepreneur and former presidential candidate, Dele Momodu, has revealed that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar once had a gentleman’s agreement to succeed President Olusegun Obasanjo after their first term in office.
Momodu, a figure within Nigeria’s opposition coalition, made the revelation in a recent article published on his Facebook page.
According to him, the understanding between the two leaders was that Atiku would take over the reins of power following Obasanjo’s initial four-year tenure which began in 1999.
“The deal was that he would take over after their first term in office, but it fell through despite the humongous support from the majority of the governors,” Momodu wrote.
He added that after the alleged agreement collapsed, Obasanjo withdrew Atiku’s constitutional privileges, effectively sidelining him during their second term in office. Despite the political setback, Momodu noted that Atiku chose not to escalate tensions and handled the situation with “uncommon equanimity.”
Atiku served as Vice President from 1999 to 2007 and has since contested multiple presidential elections. In the most recent 2023 polls, he emerged second behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Momodu praised Atiku’s resilience and business acumen in the years following his time in office. “He is a man with the Midas touch and has his fingers in many fruitful pies,” he stated, contrasting Atiku with some of his peers whom he described as dependent on political power for survival.