Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has dismissed claims by former Ogun State governor, Olusegun Osoba, that he deceived leaders of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) in the build-up to the 2003 general elections, insisting that his political engagements were driven by dialogue, national unity and inclusiveness rather than manipulation.

 

In a lengthy response titled “Reply to Your Inaccurate Posture: ‘How Obasanjo Deceived Us in 2003′”, Obasanjo described Osoba’s account, published in The Legal Observer of July 20, 2026, as “farfetched” and riddled with inaccuracies, while rejecting the allegation that he misled AD leaders.

 

“I take strong and serious objection to your calling me a deceiver because I deceived nobody,” the former President said, adding that he had always presented issues “as I had them and as I understood them, no matter whose ox is gored.”

 

Obasanjo argued that Osoba lacked knowledge of several high-level political engagements that took place before and after his release from prison, saying many of the discussions were handled by senior figures in Afenifere and the AD.

 

He disclosed that following his release from incarceration, he was approached by different groups urging him to return to public office, including delegations led by Lawan Katsina, the late Chief S.M. Afolabi and the late Martins Kuye.

 

According to him, those consultations prompted wider engagements with political leaders across the South-West, South-East and North before he eventually joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

 

Obasanjo said he repeatedly sought the support of Afenifere leaders, including the late Chief Abraham Adesanya, despite being told on several occasions that the Yoruba would not vote for him.

He recalled visiting Adesanya three times to seek his backing but said the Afenifere leader maintained his opposition, insisting that he should instead join the AD.

 

The former President maintained that his decision to bring the AD into what he described as a national government after his election in 1999 was not borne out of political weakness but a deliberate effort to promote national cohesion.

 

“Bringing PDP and AD to join me for a sort of national government was not out of weakness; rather, it was out of strength and the unity and progress of the country,” he said.

 

Obasanjo also defended his outreach to opposition-controlled South-West states during his first term, saying he deliberately cultivated friendships across party lines in the interest of national development.

 

He said his administration immediately appointed defeated PDP governorship candidates from the South-West into federal positions while simultaneously reaching out to prominent AD figures to encourage their participation in governance.

 

Responding to Osoba’s account of the political crisis that engulfed the National Assembly during his first term, Obasanjo alleged that the impeachment plot against him was initiated by his then Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar.

 

According to him, Atiku met with then Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na’Abba, and provided him with N5 million to commence impeachment moves after concluding that Obasanjo should serve only one term.

 

The former President claimed intelligence reports available to him at the time detailed the alleged plot, but he chose to treat it with contempt because he believed he had committed no impeachable offence.

 

Obasanjo further alleged that Atiku simultaneously pursued political arrangements with former Vice-President Alex Ekwueme and the six AD governors in the South-West as part of plans to succeed him in 2007.

 

He claimed the governors were persuaded not to allow opposition parties challenge them in the 2003 governorship elections in exchange for supporting Atiku’s presidential ambition four years later.

“You were all convinced of this anti-democratic plan and you all fell for it,” Obasanjo told Osoba.

 

The former President also rejected Osoba’s suggestion that Afenifere leaders attempted to dictate the composition or direction of his government after he assumed office.

 

He described as implausible any suggestion that six AD governors or Afenifere leaders could impose decisions on a President backed by 21 PDP governors, nine governors from the All People’s Party (APP), the Federal Executive Council and the National Assembly.

 

Obasanjo maintained that he had consistently rejected ethnic politics, recalling that he rebuffed attempts to describe him as a “Yoruba President” rather than Nigeria’s President.

 

Reflecting on the 2003 elections, Obasanjo insisted that the defeat of five AD governors in the South-West was largely a consequence of political realities and campaign shortcomings rather than federal manipulation.

 

He, however, alleged that results were altered in one South-West state, without naming it, while praising then Lagos governor Bola Tinubu’s Head of Service for allegedly reporting the development to him.

 

The former President criticised Afenifere for what he described as its inability to transcend regional politics, arguing that the group’s approach confined it to what he termed a “tribal cul de sac.”

 

He also expressed sympathy for some late Afenifere leaders, including Chiefs Abraham Adesanya and Ayo Adebanjo, saying they died with regrets over the direction taken by those who succeeded them.

 

Despite his disagreements with Osoba, Obasanjo acknowledged the former governor’s contributions to Ogun State, particularly the allocation of land for the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta.

 

He described the library as a major landmark for the state and thanked Osoba for approving the allocation, insisting that the decision was taken in the overall interest of Ogun State rather than partisan politics.

 

Obasanjo concluded by urging Osoba to embrace humility, gratitude and reconciliation, stressing that political competition should never destroy personal relationships.