"One of the mistakes I made was picking my number two when I wanted to be president"- Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed that he made a mistake when he picked his vice when he ruled as civilian head of state in 1999.

Obasanjo said this at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) in Abeokuta, Ogun State while answering questions from secondary school students in a program.

While interacting with the students, Obasanjo revealed that he had made many "genuine mistakes" in his life; however, he said God made him overcome them.

"One of the mistakes I made was picking my number two when I wanted to be president. But because it was a real mistake, God saved me," Obasanjo said.

The People's Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, was Obasanjo's deputy from 1999 to 2007.

During their tenure, the duo of Obasanjo and Atiku were at odds on issues as they fought each other for years.

Discussing the second mistake, Obasanjo said he turned down an asylum offered to him by the American embassy when he was about to be arrested by the late former military dictator General Sani Abacha.

According to Obasanjo, he would have lost his life during his imprisonment, but God saved him.

"When Abacha tried to arrest me, the American ambassador told me that they would arrest me and that America had asked to grant me asylum. I said no. It could have been a mistake because I could have lost my life.”

The Balogun Owu claimed that God saved him from many things that could have been a mistake.

Obasanjo expressed concern over whether youth would be allowed to rule the nation, saying youth might never come to power if current trends in Nigeria continued.

The former president regretted that despite the "Not Too Young to Run" campaign, people fighting to rule the nation are in their 70s and 80s.

"How can the youths run for office?" he asked, adding that the amount of money that goes into going into politics would not allow youngsters to attain leadership positions.