Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed that he declined to endorse former Kaduna State Governor Malam Nasir El-Rufai as his successor when leaving office in 2007.
El-Rufai served under Obasanjo first as Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and later as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) from 2003 to 2007. At the end of Obasanjo’s tenure, he instead backed the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
Speaking in Abeokuta, Ogun State, during the second edition of the Ajibosin Platform symposium themed “Importance of Leadership in Governance,” Obasanjo revealed that former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, had pushed for El-Rufai as his successor.
“He was pushing when I was leaving government that his friend, El-Rufai, should be brought in as my successor,” Obasanjo said, addressing Chidoka directly.
Obasanjo explained his decision to decline the recommendation: “I did not yield to the pressure. Later, he [Chidoka] said, ‘I suggested this person, why didn’t you agree?’ I said El-Rufai needs to mature. You remember?”
He added that years later, Chidoka acknowledged Obasanjo was right.
Despite rejecting the recommendation, Obasanjo praised Chidoka, El-Rufai, and other officials for their “special attributes,” which he credited as driving forces of his administration.
On the symposium’s theme, Obasanjo stressed that character, exposure, experience, and proper training define effective leadership.
“It’s only in politics that there is no training in leadership. Even among armed robbers, I was told there is apprenticeship. That’s not good enough,” he noted.
Delivering the keynote address, Chidoka criticized the culture of excuses in Nigerian politics.
“Leadership finds its true measure not in speeches or charisma but in the systems it leaves behind. Moral conviction must translate into the everyday machinery of governance, rules, routines, and institutions that make competence predictable and corruption difficult,” he said.
He urged accountability through national dashboards, strong institutions, and regular performance tracking.
The convener of the symposium, Aare Olanrewaju Bakinson, emphasized the importance of ethical leadership and governance in shaping society.
Among the attendees were Senator Shuaibu Salis (Ogun Central), the Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Oba Saka Matemilola; the Olota of Ota, Oba Adeyemi Obalanlege; and former Ogun First Lady, Mrs. Olufunsho Amosun.
