Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has rejected claims by former Ogun State Governor, Olusegun Osoba, that he deceived Alliance for Democracy (AD) governors and Afenifere leaders ahead of the 2003 presidential election.

Responding to Osoba’s account in his recently launched memoir, Obasanjo insisted that he never entered into any secret agreement with the AD governors or deliberately misled them to secure their support for his re-election bid in 2003.

Osoba had alleged that Obasanjo agreed to a number of political demands, including restructuring, true federalism, fiscal federalism and a credible national census, but failed to fulfil the commitments after winning a second term. He argued that the former president’s actions contributed to the collapse of the Alliance for Democracy’s political dominance in the South-West.

However, Obasanjo dismissed the allegations, maintaining that there was no deception or betrayal. According to him, the support he received from the AD leadership was based on political realities at the time and not on any hidden pact or promises. He also insisted that historical events should be presented accurately rather than being distorted by personal recollections.

The exchange revives long-standing debates over the political events leading to the 2003 general election, during which the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) swept five of the six South-West states, leaving only Lagos under the control of the Alliance for Democracy. The election marked a turning point in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, significantly weakening the AD as a major political force in the region.

The renewed disagreement between the two elder statesmen has once again drawn attention to one of the most controversial chapters in Nigeria’s democratic history, with differing accounts continuing to shape public debate over the alliances, promises and political manoeuvres that defined the 2003 elections.