“I Deceived Nobody, My Actions Were Driven by National Interest” — Obasanjo Fires Back at Osoba Over 2003 Election Claims

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has strongly rejected allegations by former Ogun State Governor and elder statesman, Aremo Olusegun Osoba, that he deceived leaders of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) during the political realignments that preceded the 2003 general elections.

In a detailed and strongly worded response, Obasanjo insisted that he never misled any political leader and that his engagements before and after assuming office were guided by transparency, national unity and the desire to strengthen democratic governance.

The former President made his position known in a letter dated July 23, 2026, titled “Reply to Your Inaccurate Posture: ‘How Obasanjo Deceived Us in 2003’,” which was written in response to Osoba’s article published in The Legal Observer on July 20.

Obasanjo described Osoba’s account as inaccurate and misleading, arguing that it contained what he called significant omissions, misconceptions and distortions of the political events that shaped Nigeria’s democratic transition and the 2003 elections.

At the centre of the dispute is Osoba’s claim that Obasanjo deceived Yoruba political leaders and AD stakeholders during negotiations that eventually altered the political landscape in the South-West. The former President dismissed the allegation outright, maintaining that he had always been forthright in his dealings.

“I take strong and serious objection to your calling me a deceiver because I deceived nobody,” Obasanjo stated.

“I always presented my case and all issues as I had them and as I understood them, no matter whose ox is gored.”

Obasanjo argued that many of the political developments leading to his emergence as President in 1999 were beyond Osoba’s direct knowledge because they involved high-level consultations among senior leaders of Afenifere and the Alliance for Democracy.

According to him, following his release from prison, several influential groups and political leaders from different parts of the country approached him and urged him to contest for the presidency. He specifically mentioned delegations led by prominent figures, including Lawan Katsina, the late Chief S.M. Afolabi and Chief Martins Kuye.

The former President explained that these nationwide consultations eventually influenced his decision to join the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), after engaging with political stakeholders across the South-West, North and South-East.

Reflecting on his relationship with the late Afenifere leader, Chief Abraham Adesanya, Obasanjo revealed that despite repeated warnings that Yoruba voters would not support his presidential ambition, he maintained a cordial and respectful relationship with the elder statesman.

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“There was no time I called on Papa Adesanya that I was not well entertained. Yet Papa stood on no vote for me, and I stood on my respect and what was due to him,” he said.

Obasanjo also defended his post-election decision to invite members of the Alliance for Democracy into what he described as a broad-based national government, stressing that the move was intended to foster unity and national cohesion rather than compensate for political weakness.

According to him, the initiative was designed to bridge political divides and strengthen Nigeria’s democracy during a critical period in the country's history.

“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 for the unity and progress of the country,” he stated.

The former President further challenged Osoba’s account of the political crisis that nearly led to the impeachment of former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na’Abba.

Contrary to claims that the Presidency orchestrated the move, Obasanjo alleged that the impeachment campaign was driven by forces within his own administration. He further claimed that his then Vice-President supported the plot while simultaneously pursuing presidential ambitions.

“The game continued to be played on with me treating it with contempt as I had committed no impeachable offence,” he wrote.

Turning to the controversial outcome of the 2003 elections, Obasanjo rejected suggestions that the defeat of Alliance for Democracy governors in the South-West resulted from manipulation by the Presidency.

Instead, he argued that the electoral losses reflected the prevailing political realities and voter sentiment at the time.

“Your loss or defeat in 2003 was genuine in all the six states except the one where the figures were successfully and murderously changed,” he asserted.

The exchange between the two elder statesmen has reopened debate over one of the most contentious periods in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, reviving discussions about the political alliances, rivalries and electoral battles that reshaped the South-West and strengthened the dominance of the PDP in the early years of democratic rule.