Ex- President says Iyabo antagonised his 1999 presidential ambition

Former Senator, Iyabo Obasanjo Bello never supported her dad, Olusegun Obasanjo when he decided to
run for the position of the president of Nigeria in 1999.

The ex-president revealed that his eldest daughter did not only antagonise his ambition but also told him he was going to die in office.



Revealing the incident in his controversial book, MY WATCH, Obasanjo said that he had met with four of children including Iyabo in New York to inform them about his desire to contest the 1999 Presidential election, when the former commissioner and senator made the shocking submission.

Obasanjo said, ‘My mind was almost made up (to vie for the position of President) but I had to consult with my children. I got four of them together in New York.

‘I told them I was going to decide whether to go into politics or not. Iyabo was the most antagonistic.

‘She burst out loudly, ‘I know you will join and you will die there and if you die, I will not weep.’

‘I told her ‘if I die and you weep, it is for yourself and others, not for me as I will not know you are weeping.’

‘It is ironic that within 10 years, Iyabo became a Senator and I completed two terms of eight years without a scratch,’ he wrote.