Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said the alliance of his former deputy, Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, with the late Dr Alex Ekwueme during the 2003 presidential primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party collapsed after Ekwueme was defeated at the poll.
Obasanjo said this in Ibadan on Thursday at the public presentation of ‘Amazing Grace’, a biography of former Oyo State Governor, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala.
Obasanjo, who was the chairman of the occasion at the book launch, gave the explanation to correct an aspect of the book where the author claimed that Atiku backed down before the primary poll.
Obasanjo said, “Again, Atiku did not back down as you claimed until Alex Ekwueme was defeated at the primary of PDP in 2003 as Atiku’s agreement with Ekwueme was to be Ekwueme’s running mate and Ekwueme, as President, spending three years and resigning for Atiku to complete the fourth year and then for Atiku to contest election in his own right in 2007.
“It was after the result of the primary that Atiku backed down, if you put it that way, it was when there was no other choice.”
Also the author, Alao-Akala described himself as a product of God’s grace, saying God used some persons to lift him up.
He said God used former Inspector General of Police, late Sunday Adewusi, late Chief Lamidi Adedibu, and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo among others to lift him up at different times in his life.
The public presentation of the book was attended by dignitaries including Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi; Oyo State Deputy Governor, Rauf Olaniyan, who represented Governor Seyi Makinde; the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi; the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji, the Soun of Ogbomoso, Oladunni Oyewumi; the Minister for Youth and Sports Development; Mr Sunday Dare; Dr Saka Balogun, former Military Governor of Oyo State, Brigadier General Oladayo Popoola (retd), Senator Brimo Yusuf and others.
