Will Obasanjo Ever Forgive Atiku?

  POLITICAL NOTES

Despite the reported claim that he had forgiven former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ahead of the 2019 presidential election, former President Olusegun Obasanjo last week attacked his former deputy, describing him as one of his genuine mistakes he made on assuming office in 1999.

Obasanjo had told Atiku and the leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who visited him at his Abeokuta home ahead of 2019 presidential election, that he believed that his former deputy had “re-discovered and re-positioned himself”  and was good enough to enjoy his support in the 2019 general election.

Before the October 2018 visit to Obasanjo by Atiku and the PDP leaders, the former president had in August 3, 2018 vowed that the former vice president should not count on him for support in his bid to actualise his life-long ambition of being elected President of Nigeria.

“How can I be on the same side with Atiku? To do what?” Obasanjo asked Premium Times.

“If I support Atiku for anything, God will not forgive me. If I do not know, yes. But once I know, Atiku can never enjoy my support,” he added.  But when Atiku and the PDP leaders later visited Obasanjo in October 2019, the former president said, “Let me start by congratulating President-to-be, Atiku Abubakar, for his success at the recent PDP Primary and I took note of his gracious remarks in his acceptance speech that it all started here.”

Obasanjo added that they had reviewed what went wrong on the side of Atiku, stressing that his former vice president had re-discovered and re-positioned himself.

“From what transpired in the last couple of hours or so, you have shown remorse; you have asked for forgiveness and you have indicated that you have learnt some good lessons and you will mend fences and make amends as necessary and as desirable.  “Whenever or wherever you might have offended me, as a Christian who asks for God’s forgiveness of my sins and inadequacies on daily basis, I forgive and I sincerely advise you to learn from the past and do what is right and it will be well with you.”  With these statements, many had thought that Obasanjo had put the past behind him.

But addressing students from selected secondary schools who participated in the final of the National Exhibition and Awards, organised by Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship (SAGE), in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, last week, Obasanjo declared that: “One of the mistakes I made was picking my number two when I wanted to become the president. But because it was a genuine mistake, God saved me.”

Does it mean Obasanjo has not genuinely forgiven Atiku? When will he put an end to whatever he has against Atiku and move on?