‘I warned you not to trust your deputy’ — Duke recalls IBB’s warning to Obasanjo on Atiku

Former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke has recounted how former military Head of State Ibrahim Babangida allegedly warned former President Olusegun Obasanjo against trusting his then vice-president, Atiku Abubakar, during their first term in office.

Duke’s account is contained in a new book by Seun Oloketuyi titled How to Win Elections in Nigeria, which examines the political intrigues surrounding Nigeria’s Fourth Republic.

Duke, who governed Cross River between 1999 and 2007, described a tense meeting involving Babangida, former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, Obasanjo and Atiku at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

According to him, the meeting took place amid growing tensions between Obasanjo and Atiku as the president prepared to seek re-election in 2003.

Duke said Atiku’s political moves had raised concerns within the administration about whether he remained committed to Obasanjo’s second-term bid.

The dispute, he said, became serious enough for 10 governors, including himself, to meet with the then national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Solomon Lar, to discuss possible alternatives for the vice-presidential position.

Duke said the development deeply 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.

He said the subsequent meeting at the Presidential Villa was arranged by Atiku, who brought Babangida and Abdulsalami to meet with Obasanjo.