Why I rejected el-Rufai as my successor in 2007 — Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says he declined a proposal to endorse Nasir el-Rufai as his successor in 2007 because he felt the former Kaduna governor “needed time to mature.”

Obasanjo made the revelation on Friday while speaking at the second annual symposium of the Ajibosin Platform in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital.

El-Rufai served as director-general of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and later as minister of the federal capital territory (FCT) during Obasanjo’s presidency.

Osita Chidoka, a former minister of aviation and the event’s keynote speaker, had mentioned how el-Rufai introduced him to Obasanjo. The former president then interjected to tell the audience a part Chidoka “had left out.”

“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,” Obasanjo said, turning to Chidoka, who acknowledged it.

“I did not yield to the pressure. Later, he said, ‘I suggested this person; why didn’t you agree?’ I said el-Rufai needs to mature. You remember?”

Obasanjo added that Chidoka later conceded the point: “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, who ultimately supported the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua as his successor, praised both Chidoka and el-Rufai for their “special attributes” which he said were instrumental to his government’s achievements.

Speaking on the event’s theme, “Importance of Leadership in Governance”, the former president lamented the absence of formal leadership training in politics.

“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,” Obasanjo said.