Donald Duke recounts IBB’s warning to Obasanjo regarding Atiku

Former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke has provided new details regarding the political friction between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his deputy, Atiku Abubakar, during the early years of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic.

According to Duke, the accounts—detailed in Seun Oloketuyi’s book ‘How to Win Elections in Nigeria’—describe a tense meeting at the presidential villa in Abuja. During this encounter, former military Head of State General Ibrahim Babangida reportedly issued a blunt warning to Obasanjo, cautioning him against trusting his deputy due to concerns over Atiku’s presidential ambitions and readiness to lead.

The tension arose as the administration approached its second-term transition, with Atiku’s political maneuvers raising questions about his continued support for Obasanjo’s re-election. Duke noted that these internal power struggles and intra-party rivalries within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) significantly shaped the trajectory of Nigerian democratic governance.