The Presidency has referenced comments previously made by former President Olusegun Obasanjo about former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, questioning his capacity for sound decision-making and his understanding of the demands of leading Nigeria.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, shared a video from 2018 containing Obasanjo’s remarks about Atiku, who is associated with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the current political debate.
Onanuga circulated the footage on his X account as political disagreements between the Tinubu administration and Atiku continued to intensify.
In the recording, Obasanjo expressed reservations about Atiku’s ability to make appropriate decisions and grasp the responsibilities associated with occupying the highest political office in the country.
“Atiku Abubakar does not have right sense of judgment, and on a number of occasions, I pointed this out to him. He complained too much and wasn’t able to understand or learn what it takes to be a president… so I gave up,” Obasanjo said.
The resurfacing of the former president’s comments comes against the backdrop of a disagreement between Tinubu and Atiku over the Federal Government’s economic interventions, particularly the introduction of a month-long petrol price reduction at Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) filling stations.
Atiku had criticised the measure, alleging that Tinubu adopted an idea similar to his proposed production subsidy policy but failed to implement it in the manner he had envisaged.
The former vice president also took a swipe at the President, likening his approach to that of a student who copies another person’s examination answers without understanding the subject.
He made the remarks during the inauguration of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja.
Addressing the gathering, Atiku accused the President of adopting his economic proposal without appreciating the principles behind it.
“Wait a minute, Bola. You have borrowed the idea but missed the lesson,” he said.
Atiku maintained that his original proposal centred on a production subsidy designed to address underlying challenges in the petroleum sector, rather than a short-term reduction in pump prices.
According to him, the administration’s decision to limit the intervention to a 30-day discount failed to capture the broader objectives of the policy he had advocated.
“You had a production subsidy and reduced it to a 30-day gesture,” Atiku stated.
The ADC figure argued that Nigeria required more comprehensive economic measures to ease the financial burden on citizens, rather than temporary interventions that would expire after a limited period.
The exchange has added to the growing political tension between the President and his critics as discussions over economic management and potential political alignments ahead of the 2027 general election continue.
Onanuga’s decision to circulate Obasanjo’s earlier remarks has brought renewed attention to the former president’s assessment of Atiku, further intensifying the political debate surrounding the former vice president’s leadership credentials.
