Akin Osuntokun, a former Director-General of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council and ex-political adviser to President Olusegun Obasanjo, has revealed fresh details from Nigeria’s transition to civilian rule in the late 1990s.
Speaking in an interview on Arise TV, he highlighted the early support former Katsina State Governor Umaru Musa Yar’Adua provided to Olusegun Obasanjo during the buildup to the 1999 presidential primaries.
Osuntokun recounted that as Obasanjo prepared to contest the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) primaries ahead of the 1999 general elections, Yar’Adua was the first sitting governor to publicly declare support for him.
This endorsement came at a critical time when Obasanjo, a former military head of state who had been imprisoned under General Sani Abacha’s regime, was re-entering politics after his release.
Yar’Adua’s backing helped solidify Obasanjo’s northern outreach, which proved essential in a country where regional alliances often shape electoral outcomes.
According to Osuntokun, during discussions between the two men, Obasanjo suggested starting the campaign momentum from Katsina State.
He reportedly told Yar’Adua that securing Katsina would serve as a strong foundation, after which support would grow organically across other areas.
His words: “When he (Obasanjo) was preparing to run in the presidential primaries in 1999, the first governor to declare support for him was Umaru Yar’Adua. While he was discussing with Umaru Yar’Adua, he said, ‘Okay, let’s start from here, Katsina State. You will secure Katsina State.’ From that point on, he began to see him differently and more naturally.”
The 1999 primaries and subsequent election marked Nigeria’s return to democracy after years of military dictatorship.
Obasanjo emerged victorious in the PDP primaries and went on to win the presidential poll against Olu Falae of the Alliance for Democracy and All People’s Party alliance……See More
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