Why I Rejected Pressure to Make El-Rufai My Successor — Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has explained why he refused to support former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai as his successor when he left office in 2007.

Speaking at the second edition of the Ajibosin Platform Annual Symposium in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Obasanjo said he turned down the suggestion because he believed El-Rufai was not yet mature enough to lead the country.

He revealed that former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, had proposed El-Rufai for the role, saying he would make a capable leader.

Obasanjo, however, said he stood his ground. “He was pushing that his friend, El-Rufai, should be brought in as my successor. I did not yield to the pressure. I said El-Rufai needed to mature. Years later, Chidoka came back and said, ‘You’re absolutely correct,’” he recounted.

The former president, fondly called OBJ, praised Chidoka, El-Rufai, and other members of his former administration for their contributions, describing them as individuals with special qualities that strengthened his government.

He stressed that character, exposure, experience, and training are essential qualities for anyone in public service, lamenting the lack of leadership training in Nigerian politics.

“It’s only in politics that I found there is no training for leadership. Even among armed robbers, I was told there is apprenticeship. But in politics, there is none. That’s not good enough,” he said.

In his keynote address, Chidoka argued that leadership should be measured by the systems and institutions it builds, not by charisma or speeches. He said Nigeria’s main challenge has never been a shortage of ideas but the absence of systems strong enough to outlive their creators.

He called for the creation of national accountability systems to track government performance, monitor promises, and expose inefficiency.

El-Rufai served in Obasanjo’s administration between 1999 and 2007, first as Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises and later as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.