Paul Ibe, Media Adviser to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has launched a scathing attack on former President Olusegun Obasanjo, saying he now regrets ever holding the former Nigerian leader in high esteem.
Ibe made the remarks in a Facebook post on Sunday, reacting to Obasanjo’s recent comments in which the former president described his decision to select Atiku Abubakar as his running mate in the 1999 presidential election as the biggest mistake of his administration.
The renewed war of words has once again brought the long-standing political rivalry between Obasanjo and Atiku back into public focus.
Speaking during a fireside conversation with veteran entertainer and activist Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, in Lagos on Friday, Obasanjo stated that he would never have chosen Atiku as his deputy if he had known him better before the election.
According to the former president, his experience with Atiku after assuming office changed his perception completely.
“The man I picked as my running mate, my number two. If I had known him as I came to know him later, I would not have picked him,” Obasanjo said.
Responding to the statement, Ibe urged Nigerians to read Bitter-Sweet: My Life with Obasanjo, the 2008 memoir written by Obasanjo’s first wife, Oluremi Obasanjo.
He described the book as an eye-opening account that offers insight into what he called the private life of a man who had the rare privilege of ruling Nigeria twice—first as a military Head of State and later as a democratically elected President.
According to Ibe, the memoir paints a picture that sharply contrasts with Obasanjo’s public image, alleging that it contains disturbing claims about his personal conduct.
The Atiku aide pointed to allegations in the book accusing the former president of domestic violence and emotional abuse during his marriage to Oluremi Obasanjo.
He further referenced claims concerning Obasanjo’s personal relationships, stating that some of the allegations were reportedly corroborated by accounts attributed to the former president’s son.
Ibe argued that the revelations in the memoir fundamentally changed his opinion of Obasanjo.
He accused the former president of lacking the moral authority to criticise others while allegedly failing to address issues in his own personal life.
“Lack of sexual discipline, incestuous affairs and domestic violence are extreme manifestations of moral bankruptcy,” Ibe wrote.
He added that despite the allegations contained in the memoir, Obasanjo had continued to portray himself as a moral authority and frequent critic of other political figures.
Expressing his disappointment, Ibe said he now regrets ever admiring the former president.
“If I knew the things that I now know about Obasanjo, I would not have held him in very high esteem as I had done in the past,” he stated.
He further accused Obasanjo of hypocrisy, describing him as high-handed and guilty of operating double standards.
“His hypocrisy, high-handedness and double standard reeks to high heaven,” Ibe added.
The latest exchange is another chapter in the decades-long political feud between Obasanjo and Atiku, whose relationship has remained turbulent since leaving office.
The two leaders jointly won the 1999 presidential election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and governed Nigeria together for two consecutive terms from 1999 to 2007.
However, their alliance deteriorated during Obasanjo’s second term in office following disagreements over governance, succession politics and constitutional issues, eventually developing into one of Nigeria’s most enduring political rivalries.
The recent public exchanges suggest that the bitter relationship between the former president and his one-time deputy remains unresolved nearly two decades after they left office.
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