Donald Duke, former governor of Cross River, has recounted how Ibrahim Babangida, former military head of state, allegedly warned Olusegun Obasanjo against trusting Atiku Abubakar, his then vice-president.
Duke’s account is contained in How to Win Elections in Nigeria, a new book by Seun Oloketuyi, which examines the political intrigues surrounding Nigeria’s early Fourth Republic.
Duke, who governed Cross River from 1999 to 2007, recalled an informal meeting involving Babangida, Abdulsalami Abubakar, former military head of state, Obasanjo and Atiku at the presidential villa in Abuja.
According to him, tensions between Obasanjo and Atiku had intensified as the president prepared for his 2003 re-election bid.
Duke said Atiku was making moves that raised questions about whether he would support Obasanjo’s second-term campaign.
The dispute became a major issue within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), with 10 governors, including Duke, reportedly meeting Solomon Lar, then PDP national chairman, to discuss possible alternatives for the vice-presidential slot.
Duke said the situation unsettled Obasanjo, who later called him late at night to complain about what he considered betrayal by his deputy.
“I urged him to remain calm and promised to fly to Abuja the next morning,” Duke recalled.
According to Duke, Atiku had arranged for Babangida and Abdulsalami to meet with Obasanjo.
‘I warned you not to trust your deputy’
During the meeting, Babangida reportedly reminded Obasanjo of agreements reached following his release from prison and argued that securing the backing of northern political leaders for Obasanjo’s re-election would be difficult.
Obasanjo reportedly asked whether their position was final or whether there was still room for negotiation.
Babangida said further discussions were still possible, Duke recounted.
But after the meeting appeared to have ended, Babangida allegedly asked Obasanjo to accompany him back to the president’s private study, claiming he had forgotten his keys.
Duke said Babangida then used the opportunity to speak to Obasanjo privately.
“I warned you not to trust that your deputy,” he reportedly told Obasanjo.
When they returned to the others, Babangida allegedly looked at Atiku before turning to Obasanjo and saying: “This one cannot rule Nigeria.”
Duke said the encounter showed the depth of distrust between Obasanjo and Atiku and the extent to which their political differences had become a subject of discussion among Nigeria’s former leaders.
He said the episode also reinforced a lesson he learnt during his time in office: “betrayal is a very crazy thing in politics”.
Obasanjo, Atiku’s long-running political feud
Obasanjo and Atiku have maintained a strained relationship since serving together as president and vice-president between 1999 and 2007.
The former allies have repeatedly exchanged accusations involving corruption, abuse of office and political betrayal.
Their feud took a fresh turn on July 24 when Obasanjo alleged that Atiku gave the late Ghali Umar Na’Abba, former speaker of the House of Representatives, N5 million to initiate impeachment proceedings against him during his first term.
Obasanjo made the claim while responding to comments by Olusegun Osoba, former governor of Ogun, about the political developments surrounding the 2003 election.
On August 1, during a fireside chat with activist Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, in Lagos, Obasanjo again expressed strong reservations about Atiku and said he regretted choosing him as his vice-president.
Atiku, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, subsequently accused Obasanjo of fabricating allegations against him to favour his kinsman ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
He said Obasanjo was bitter because he opposed the former president’s third-term bid while they were in office, adding that he had no regrets about his actions.
