Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed that he rejected a proposal to make former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, his successor in 2007, citing El-Rufai’s lack of maturity at the time.
Obasanjo made the disclosure in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Friday, October 24, during the second edition of the Ajibosin Platform annual symposium, themed “Importance of Leadership in Governance.”
The former president explained that the idea had been put forward by former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, who had recommended El-Rufai as a potential successor. El-Rufai served under Obasanjo’s administration as the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises before being appointed Minister of the Federal Capital Territory from 2003 to 2007.
Recounting the events in a lighthearted exchange with Chidoka during the symposium, Obasanjo said, “He was pushing when I was leaving government that his friend, El-Rufai, should be brought in as my successor.” Turning to Chidoka, who was seated among the panelists, Obasanjo asked, “No be so?” to which the former minister nodded in agreement.
Obasanjo continued, “I did not yield to the pressure. Later, he said, ‘I suggested this person, why didn’t you agree?’ I said El-Rufai needed to mature. 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.’”
While he declined to endorse El-Rufai at the time, Obasanjo said he held respect for both El-Rufai and Chidoka, describing them as individuals with “special attributes” who contributed significantly to his administration’s success.
Speaking on the essence of leadership, Obasanjo stressed that true leadership requires character, exposure, experience, and proper training. “It’s only in politics that I found out there is no training for leadership,” he said. “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.”
In his keynote address, Osita Chidoka argued that Nigeria’s challenges stem largely from what he called “the politics of alibi,” where excuses replace accountability. He said leadership should be measured not by speeches but by systems that ensure efficiency, transparency, and continuity.
“Leadership finds its true measure not in charisma but in the systems it leaves behind. Nigeria’s problem has never been a shortage of ideas; it is the absence of systems strong enough to outlive their authors,” Chidoka said. He urged leaders to move from rhetoric to measurable results through stronger accountability systems and institutional monitoring.
The symposium’s convener, Aare Olanrewaju Bakinson, said the event aimed to deepen the discourse on ethical and effective leadership. “Leadership is not just about power; it’s about responsibility, vision, and service,” he said.
Among those present at the event were Senator Shuaibu Salis (Ogun Central), the Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Oba Saka Matemilola, the Olota of Ota, Oba Adeyemi Obalanlege, and former Ogun State First Lady, Mrs. Olufunsho Amosun.