Why We Backed Obasanjo For President In 1999 – Sule Lamido

Former Jigawa State Governor and ex-National Secretary of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP), Sule Lamido, has revealed that former President Olusegun Obasanjo was chosen as the preferred Yoruba candidate for president in 1999 over Chiefs Bola Ige, Olu Falae, and Abraham Adesanya in the interest of national unity.

Naijaonpoint reports that Lamido made this disclosure in ‘Being True to Myself’, his newly launched autobiography, unveiled on May 13. In Chapter 9, titled “Abdulsalami’s Transition and Formation of the PDP,” the former governor said the decision to back Obasanjo was driven by a need to find a Yoruba leader who could be seen as a Nigerian president, not merely a leader of the Yoruba ethnic group.

“The Yoruba saw through our moves and wanted to nominate one of three possible persons: Chiefs Olu Falae, Bola Ige, or Abraham Adesanya,” Lamido wrote. “But none of these could make a fair and effective president in Nigeria.”

According to him, there was a strategic distinction made between choosing a “Yoruba Nigerian President” and a “President of the Nigerian Yoruba.” Obasanjo, he said, fit the former description.

Why Obasanjo Stood Out

Lamido noted that several aspirants, including Alex Ekwueme, Abubakar Rimi, and Obasanjo, had emerged under the newly formed Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). However, retired military generals within the party advised that the group rally behind Obasanjo.

“The first reason was that he had won the trust of many Nigerians. Secondly, among the Yoruba, he had the profile of a national figure,” Lamido stated.

He highlighted Obasanjo’s military pedigree — including his roles as Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters under General Murtala Mohammed and Head of State after Murtala’s assassination — as key factors in boosting his national credentials.

The former Jigawa governor also praised Obasanjo for what he described as an act of statesmanship in 1979. Despite enormous pressure from his Yoruba kinsmen, Obasanjo handed over power to Shehu Shagari of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) rather than support Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who lost the presidential election amid controversy over the “twelve two-thirds” constitutional interpretation.

“That singular act painted Obasanjo as a patriot who put national unity above ethnic loyalty,” Lamido wrote.

Backlash from Yoruba Elite

Lamido acknowledged that Obasanjo’s selection over other Yoruba political heavyweights angered the Yoruba political elite and wider public, especially because of Obasanjo’s perceived betrayal of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, won by fellow Abeokuta native, Chief MKO Abiola.

“Obasanjo and Abiola were bitter opponents, divided by temperament, ideology, and religion,” Lamido explained. “His refusal to support Abiola’s struggle to reclaim his mandate was seen as his second ‘offence’ after handing over to Shagari in 1979.”

Despite the backlash, Lamido maintained that Obasanjo’s broad national appeal and military background made him the right choice for Nigeria’s fragile post-military democracy at the time.

“The idea was not just to placate the Yoruba after June 12, but to unify Nigeria under a president with national credentials,” he added.