Obasanjo: I Rejected El-Rufai as My Successor Because He Needed to Mature

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo publicly disclosed on Friday that he outright rejected a direct push to anoint former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, as his successor in 2007, stating that he believed his then-minister “needed to mature.”

Obasanjo made the revelation in Abeokuta, Ogun State, during the second annual symposium of the Ajibosin Platform. The event, which featured former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, as the keynote speaker, took a dramatic turn when Obasanjo addressed a story Chidoka had just told the audience.

Chidoka had recounted how El-Rufai, who served as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under Obasanjo, recommended him for a role at the age of 34, a move that brought him into the presidency and led to his appointment as the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

However, Obasanjo interjected, pointing out a crucial part of the story Chidoka had omitted. Directing his words at the former minister, who was seated among the panelists, Obasanjo stated, “Let him tell you. He didn’t mention that. He was pushing when I was leaving government that his friend, El-Rufai, should be brought in as my successor.”

Facing Chidoka directly, Obasanjo sought confirmation, asking, “No be so (Is that not true)?” Chidoka nodded his head in agreement.

Obasanjo then explained his reasoning for brushing aside the recommendation, which would have seen El-Rufai succeed him instead of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. “I did not yield to the pressure,” he said. “Later, he said, ‘I suggested this person, why didn’t you agree?’ I said El-Rufai needs to mature. You remember?”

The former President revealed that Chidoka later came to agree with his assessment after observing El-Rufai’s subsequent political trajectory. “When I left government and, many years later, he saw the performances of El-Rufai, he came back to me and said, ‘You’re absolutely correct. El-Rufai needed to mature,’” Obasanjo recounted.

Despite this past disagreement, Obasanjo applauded both Chidoka and El-Rufai for their “special attributes,” which he identified as the driving forces behind his administration’s successes.

The symposium, with the theme “Importance of Leadership in Governance,” provided the backdrop for these revelations. In his keynote address, Chidoka had earlier blamed Nigeria’s challenges on “excuses and the politics of alibi.” He argued that “leadership finds its true measure not in speeches or charisma but in the systems it leaves behind,” and called for a shift from excuses to action and accountability.

Echoing the importance of prepared leadership, Obasanjo emphasized character, exposure, experience, and training as the hallmarks of good governance. He critiqued the political sphere, noting, “It’s only in politics that I found out there is no training for leadership. Even among armed robbers, I was told there is apprenticeship. But it’s only in politics that there is no training in leadership. That’s not good enough.”

The event was attended by prominent figures including Senator Shuaibu Salis, the Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Oba Saka Matemilola, and former Ogun First Lady, Mrs. Olufunsho Amosun.