Nigeria: Only Death May End Obasanjo-Atiku Feud - Shehu Sani

What the report says

Former Kaduna Central Senator Shehu Sani said the long-running political feud between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar may only end with the death of one of them, according to Leadership’s report distributed by AllAfrica. Sani made the remark in a post on X while responding to a fresh exchange between the two men, whose relationship has remained strained for more than two decades.

The dispute dates back to the early years of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, when Obasanjo selected Atiku as his running mate for the 1999 election and the pair took office in Abuja on 29 May 1999. Their alliance later deteriorated over succession politics, control of the ruling party, policy disagreements and the failed third-term agenda during Obasanjo’s presidency. The article says the rift escalated into public accusations of disloyalty, corruption and political betrayal, and later involved court action after tensions grew over Atiku’s defection from the Peoples Democratic Party.

Leadership reported that the latest round of criticism was triggered after Obasanjo described choosing Atiku as his running mate as his biggest presidential mistake. Atiku rejected related allegations and accused his former principal of targeting him for political reasons. The feud remains significant because both men are among Nigeria’s best-known political figures, and their dispute has repeatedly influenced public debate, party politics and presidential contests.

The article also noted that the two men briefly appeared to reconcile when Obasanjo backed Atiku’s 2019 presidential bid, but that thaw did not last. Their renewed confrontation shows how unresolved personal and political grievances from the late 1990s continue to shape Nigeria’s elite politics.