Obasanjo: Why I Rejected El-Rufai as My Successor

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed why he turned down a proposal to have former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, succeed him as Nigeria’s president.

Speaking in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Obasanjo revealed that former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, had recommended El-Rufai as his preferred successor, but he chose not to accept the suggestion.

During the event, Chidoka, who served as the keynote speaker, recounted how El-Rufai had earlier recommended him to Obasanjo when he was 34, a move that led to his appointment as the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps. Obasanjo, however, took the opportunity to tease Chidoka for omitting a key part of the story. “He didn’t tell you that when I was leaving government, he was pushing that his friend, El-Rufai, should take over from me,” Obasanjo said.

Explaining his decision, Obasanjo said he declined the recommendation because he believed El-Rufai still needed time to develop as a leader. “I did not yield to the pressure. Later, he asked me why I refused, and I told him El-Rufai needed to mature. Years later, after seeing El-Rufai’s performance, he came back to say, ‘You were absolutely right,’” Obasanjo recounted.

Despite rejecting the idea at the time, Obasanjo commended both Chidoka and El-Rufai, describing them as individuals with “special attributes” that contributed significantly to his administration’s success. Speaking on the event’s theme, “Importance of Leadership in Governance,” Obasanjo stressed that character, exposure, experience, and proper training are vital qualities of effective leadership. He lamented the lack of leadership training in Nigerian politics, noting that “even among armed robbers, there is apprenticeship, but in politics, there is none — and that’s not good enough.”

In his keynote address, Chidoka attributed Nigeria’s persistent challenges to a culture of excuses and weak institutional systems. He argued that true leadership is measured by the systems and values it establishes, not by charisma or rhetoric. “Nigeria’s problem has never been a shortage of ideas but the absence of systems strong enough to outlive their authors,” he said. The event was attended by several dignitaries, including Senator Shuaibu Salis, the Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Oba Saka Matemilola, the Olota of Ota, Oba Adeyemi Obalanlege, and former Ogun State First Lady, Mrs. Olufunsho Amosun.

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