Revealing the intrigues that led to the choice of Jonathan as vice president in his country home in Yenagoa, former governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, said it was part of Obasanjo’s grand plan to stop Alhaji Atiku Abubakar from succeeding him in 2007.

The former governor said from the discussions he had with Obasanjo, he knew that Jonathan was going to be the vice president of Nigeria as far back as August 25, 2005.

He said Obasanjo’s fear then, was that Atiku had secretly endorsed Alamieyeseigha as his running mate and had perfected plans to succeed him (OBJ) at the expiration of his second tenure.

Alamieyeseigha said the choice of Jonathan as vice president was to frustrate the emergence of Atiku and himself as  PDP flag bearers in 2007.

He expressed regrets that his impeachment, imprisonment and travails in office were part of the plot by Obasanjo, who he described as “devil incarnate” to stop him from becoming Atiku’s deputy.

His words: “For Goodluck, I knew that Jonathan was going to be vice president of Nigeria as far back as August 25, 2005.  Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, told me that since  Atiku and I wanted to take his job, that it would be over his dead body; and that unless he died, Atiku cannot be president of Nigeria.

“Obasanjo said since Atiku had picked me as his running mate, he would make sure that he dealt with and disgraced us. He said  he was going to use my deputy to rubbish me before everybody. So, I knew.”

On why he picked Jonathan as his deputy, Alamieyeseigha said he needed an establishment person and somebody who was not too ambitious.

He described Jonathan as humble and a man with strong character, who could be relied upon to handle a position of responsibility.”

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