According to our reporter, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed why he rejected the proposal to make Nasir El-Rufai, then Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, his successor at the end of his tenure in 2007.
Speaking in an interview reported by Daily Post on Saturday, October 25, 2025, Obasanjo said although El-Rufai was competent and capable, he wanted a leader with a fresh approach and new energy to move Nigeria forward.
“I believed the country needed a different leadership style at that time. My decision was guided by what was best for Nigeria, not by personal preference,” Obasanjo said.
He explained that his eventual support for the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was based on the conviction that Yar’Adua could consolidate the progress made during his administration while bringing new ideas to national governance.
Political observers say Obasanjo’s revelation sheds light on the careful considerations that shaped Nigeria’s political transition in 2007. It also underscores the challenges of balancing personal trust, competence, and national interest in leadership succession.
El-Rufai later became the Governor of Kaduna State, earning a reputation for decisive and outspoken leadership. Obasanjo’s choice to back Yar’Adua, however, remains one of the most debated decisions of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic.
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