Obasanjo: Why I Rejected Proposal to Make El-Rufai My Successor

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed that he once turned down a proposal suggesting former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nasir El-Rufai as his preferred successor at the end of his administration in 2007.

Speaking on Friday at the Ajibosin Platform Annual Symposium in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Obasanjo said he rejected the idea because he believed El-Rufai was “not yet mature enough” to lead a complex nation like Nigeria.

The former president made the comment while responding to a keynote address delivered by former Minister of Aviation Osita Chidoka, who had recalled how El-Rufai introduced him to Obasanjo in 2004 a meeting that led to his appointment as Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

Interrupting Chidoka’s speech, Obasanjo humorously said, “He didn’t mention that when I was leaving government, he was pushing that his friend, El-Rufai, should be brought in as my successor.” Turning to Chidoka, he added, “No be so?” prompting a nod of agreement.

Obasanjo continued, “I did not yield to the pressure. Later, he asked why I didn’t agree, and I told him El-Rufai needed to mature. Years later, after observing his performance, he came back and said, ‘You were absolutely correct El-Rufai needed to mature.’”

Despite the lighthearted exchange, Obasanjo praised both El-Rufai and Chidoka, describing members of his former administration as “individuals with unique qualities” who played key roles in his government between 1999 and 2007.

The former president also emphasized that effective leadership requires character, experience, and training.

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

In his address, Chidoka argued that Nigeria’s biggest challenge is not the absence of ideas but the lack of strong institutions to ensure accountability and continuity in governance.

“Leadership finds its true measure not in speeches or charisma, but in the systems it leaves behind,” he said. “Nigeria’s problem has never been the absence of ideas; it is the absence of systems strong enough to outlive their authors.”

The symposium, themed “Leadership, Governance, and Institutional Renewal in Nigeria,” attracted political leaders, scholars, and civic advocates from across the country.