Obasanjo: I rejected El-Rufai as successor in 2007, said he needed time to mature

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed that he declined a proposal to endorse Nasir el-Rufai, then the Kaduna State governor, as his successor in 2007, stating that the ex-minister needed more time to mature politically.

El-Rufai, who served as Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and later as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) between 2003 and 2007 under Obasanjo, was among those considered during succession discussions at the end of Obasanjo’s second term.

Speaking on Friday at the second annual symposium of the Ajibosin Platform in Abeokuta, Ogun State, themed “Importance of Leadership in Governance,” Obasanjo revealed that Osita Chidoka, former Minister of Aviation, had suggested el-Rufai as a suitable replacement.

“Let him tell you. He didn’t mention that,” Obasanjo said, interrupting Chidoka’s presentation. “He was pushing when I was leaving government that his friend, el-Rufai, should be brought in as my successor.”

The former president said he turned down the suggestion because he felt el-Rufai was not ready at the time.

“I did not yield to the pressure,” Obasanjo said. “Later, he asked why I didn’t agree, and I told him el-Rufai needed to mature. You remember? When I left government and, many years later, he saw el-Rufai’s performance, he came back to me and said, ‘You’re absolutely correct — el-Rufai needed to mature.’”

Chidoka, who was the keynote speaker at the event, had earlier recounted how el-Rufai introduced him to Obasanjo at the age of 34 — an encounter that later led to his appointment as Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

Obasanjo commended both Chidoka and el-Rufai for their “special attributes,” noting that their contributions were significant to the successes recorded during his administration.

On leadership development, the former president lamented the lack of structured training in politics, contrasting it with other professions where apprenticeship is standard practice.

“It’s only in politics that I found there is no training for leadership,” Obasanjo said. “Even among armed robbers, I was told there is apprenticeship. But in politics, there’s no leadership training. That’s not good enough.”

Obasanjo had backed the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua as his successor in 2007, a decision that shaped the political transition following his eight-year rule.