Former Cross River State governor Donald Duke has revealed how former military head of state Ibrahim Babangida allegedly warned ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo against trusting his then deputy, Atiku Abubakar.
Duke’s account is contained in Seun Oloketuyi’s book, How to Win Elections in Nigeria, which examines political intrigues during the early years of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic.
According to Duke, tensions between Obasanjo and Atiku intensified ahead of the 2003 presidential election, amid concerns over Atiku’s commitment to Obasanjo’s re-election.
Duke said 10 governors, including himself, at one point met with then-PDP chairman Solomon Lar to discuss possible alternatives for the vice-presidential slot.
He recalled that Obasanjo later called him late at night, complaining about what he considered betrayal by his deputy.
Duke said Atiku subsequently arranged a meeting involving Obasanjo, Babangida and former military head of state Abdulsalami Abubakar at the presidential villa.
During the meeting, Babangida reportedly told Obasanjo that securing northern support for his second-term bid would be difficult.
Duke said the most revealing exchange occurred after the meeting, when Babangida asked Obasanjo to accompany him back to the former president’s private study on the pretext of retrieving his keys.
According to Duke, Babangida then told Obasanjo: “I warned you not to trust that your deputy.”
Duke said that after they returned to the others, Babangida looked at Atiku before telling Obasanjo: “This one cannot rule Nigeria.”
He said the episode showed the depth of distrust surrounding the relationship between Obasanjo and Atiku, adding that one of the major lessons he learnt from politics was that “betrayal is a very crazy thing in politics.”
Obasanjo and Atiku have remained political rivals, with both men exchanging accusations over corruption, abuse of office and political betrayal.
Their latest war of words intensified in July after Obasanjo alleged that Atiku gave the late former House of Representatives Speaker Ghali Umar Na’Abba N5 million to initiate impeachment proceedings against him.
Obasanjo later said he regretted choosing Atiku as his vice-president, while Atiku accused the former president of making allegations against him to advance his political interests ahead of the 2027 election.