Obasanjo: I Rejected El-Rufai as My Successor in 2007 Because He Needed Time to Mature
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed that he turned down a suggestion to endorse former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, as his successor in 2007, saying the then-minister needed more time to mature politically.
El-Rufai, who served as the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) before becoming Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under Obasanjo’s administration, was among the young technocrats groomed during the former president’s tenure.
However, as Obasanjo’s second term drew to an end, he opted to support the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua as the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2007 election.
Speaking on Friday at the second annual symposium of the Ajibosin Platform held in Abeokuta, Ogun State, with the theme “Importance of Leadership in Governance”, Obasanjo revealed that Osita Chidoka, a former Minister of Aviation, had recommended el-Rufai to succeed him.
“Osita Chidoka suggested that Nasir el-Rufai should succeed me as president in 2007,” Obasanjo said. “But I told him no, that el-Rufai needed more time to mature.”
The former president, known for mentoring several young politicians who later rose to national prominence, said leadership requires a combination of maturity, experience, and readiness to handle complex governance challenges.
Obasanjo added that while el-Rufai possessed intelligence and energy, he believed the former FCT minister needed additional time to refine his leadership approach before assuming the nation’s highest office.