Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed that he once rejected a proposal to appoint former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, as his successor after leaving office in 2007.
Speaking in Abeokuta, Ogun State, during the second edition of the annual symposium organized by the Ajibosin Platform, Obasanjo recalled that former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, had suggested El-Rufai for the role.
“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 while pointing to Chidoka, who confirmed the claim with a nod.
Obasanjo explained that he turned down the idea because he believed El-Rufai “needed to mature.” He said that years later, after observing El-Rufai’s performance, Chidoka admitted that the former president was right in his assessment.
After declining the suggestion, Obasanjo eventually backed the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua as his preferred successor.
El-Rufai, who served as Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) under Obasanjo’s administration, was later appointed Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) between 2003 and 2007.
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