Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Friday said he turned down the move to install former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, as his successor in 2027 because of his lack of maturity.

Obasanjo disclosed this in Abeokuta, Ogun State, during the second edition of the annual symposium of the Ajibosin Platform themed “Importance of Leadership in Governance.”

He revealed that former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, had recommended El-Rufai to be his successor, but he refused.

Under the Obasanjo’s administration, El-Rufai served first as the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises and later as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory from 2003 to 2007.

While exiting power in 2007, Obasanjo backed the late President Umar Yar’Adua as his successor.

Chidoka, who was the keynote speaker at the event, recalled how El-Rufai recommended him to Obasanjo at the age of 34, a move that brought him closer to the presidency and eventually led to his appointment as the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps.

Addressing the gathering, Obasanjo playfully taunted Chidoka for omitting the El-Rufai story.

“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.

Facing Chidoka, who sat among the panelists, Obasanjo asked, “No be so?  Meaning is that not true?”

The former minister nodded his head in agreement.

Obasanjo went on to explain that he brushed aside the recommendation of El-Rufai as his successor because he felt his former minister needed to mature.

The former president added, “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. You remember? When I left the 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.’”

Obasanjo, however, applauded Chidoka, El-Rufai, and others for their “special attributes,” which he said were the driving forces of his administration.

Speaking further on the theme of leadership, the former president emphasized the importance of character, exposure, experience, and training as the hallmarks of good leadership.

He said, “It’s only in politics that I found out there is no training for leadership. Even among armed robbers, I was told there is an apprenticeship. But it’s only in politics that there is no training in leadership. That’s not good enough.”

Earlier, while delivering the keynote address, Chidoka blamed Nigeria’s challenges on what he described as excuses and the “politics of alibi.”

“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.

“Nigeria’s problem has never been a shortage of ideas; it is the absence of systems strong enough to outlive their authors,” he said.

He called for a shift from excuses to action and accountability.

Chidoka added, “We must therefore make leadership accountable not to rhetoric but to results: measure by building national dashboards and accountability systems that track every promise, every budget, every outcome. Monitor by strengthening the institutions that evaluate government performance and expose complacency.”

The convener of the symposium, Aare Olanrewaju Bakinson, said the lecture aimed to discuss the critical role effective leadership plays in shaping societies and nations.

“Leadership is not just about power; it’s about responsibility, vision, and service. As we explore this theme, we’ll examine the qualities of good governance, the impact of leadership on development, and strategies for fostering ethical leadership,” he stated.

Prominent personalities at the event were Senator representing Ogun Central, Shuaibu Salis; the Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Oba Saka Matemilola; the Olota of Ota, Oba Adeyemi Obalanlege; and former Ogun First Lady, Mrs. Olufunsho Amosun among others.

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The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has accused the governors elected under the Peoples Democratic Party of running the party with arrogance and impunity.

Wike warned that the governors’ actions and disregard for due process could lead to the total collapse of the party.

The FCT minister spoke on Friday during the October edition of his monthly media chat in Abuja.

“The way these present governors are going, they will bury this party. I’m the FCT Minister, for Christ’s sake—forget about whatever you think. Are you telling me that, as it is today, because I’m not a governor, you will go and hold a PDP stakeholders’ meeting, exclude me, and then expect to survive? Assuming I’m not the FCT Minister, by the role that I have played in the PDP till now, simply because I’m not a governor, I cannot be consulted in making decisions of the party? Certainly not!

“Two or three people cannot go and sit somewhere, make a decision, and then tell me that because they are governors, I should follow such a decision,” he stated.

He described the party’s national convention slated for November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, Oyo State, as illegal.

Wike insisted that he would not attend any convention that fails to comply with the party’s constitutional procedures, saying his attendance would amount to endorsing illegality.

In the lead-up to the national convention, the PDP has been engulfed in tension as rival factions clash over control of its leadership structure.

Last week, the party’s chairman in Imo State, Austin Nwachukwu; his Abia State counterpart, Abraham Nnanna; and the South-South Zonal Secretary, George Turnah, filed a suit at a Federal High Court seeking to halt preparations for the convention until a substantive case before the court is resolved.

For more than a year, the PDP has been mired in a series of internal crises, with governors elected on its platform and Wike’s loyalists locked in a fierce struggle over control of the party machinery.

Also, the party’s National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, a known Wike loyalist, last week petitioned the Department of State Services, the Inspector General of Police, and the Independent National Electoral Commission, alleging forgery of his signature on communications related to the upcoming convention.

Speaking on the internal crisis rocking the party at the media chat, Wike condemned what he described as the sidelining of key stakeholders in major party decisions, including preparations for the convention.

According to him, attempts by a few governors to dominate the party and control the outcome of the convention without due process were illegal and detrimental to the party’s unity.

He said the conduct of some governors was pushing the party toward self-destruction, stressing that the ruling All Progressives Congress was not responsible for the party’s woes.

Wike said, “You (governors) go and take a decision, and then you sideline certain people. What do you expect to have? You will have a faction. Is that not embarrassing? Why are you not following due process in holding a national convention?

“I have said it, and I will continue to say it: the moment you think that you can sideline certain people and nothing will happen, you cause a major crisis in the party.

“If you do the right thing, would anybody challenge the convention? People think they are too smart. You have not done your congresses for those who will participate in that convention. All you are interested in is, ‘Let’s go and do the convention.’ You want to deny so many states the opportunity to participate in the convention, and we say you cannot do that.”

When asked if he would attend the convention, Wike said, “If a proper convention is to be held, why won’t I go? But I won’t go to a convention I know is filled with illegalities. How do you expect me to attend a convention that I know, by law, is not a valid convention?”

Wike also faulted the decision-making process within the PDP, accusing the party’s governors of excluding other influential members and arrogating powers to themselves.

“When you make a fundamental mistake by arrogating powers to yourself, of course, you will suffer the effect.

The Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, has slammed governors of the Peoples Democratic Party for sidelining him in major party decisions, warning that such exclusionary practices could threaten the party’s survival.

Speaking during a media briefing in Abuja on Friday, Wike expressed frustration over being left out of key consultations despite his long-standing influence and role within the PDP.

He said, “Have I not said it before now that the booby trap you are setting will consume you? The way these present governors are doing, they will bury this party.”

The minister questioned why his exclusion was justified simply because he no longer holds a governorship position.

“I am the FCT Minister. Are you telling me that because I am not a governor, you will hold a PDP stakeholders’ meeting and exclude me, and then expect the party to survive?” he queried.

He added, “Assuming I am not a minister, by the role I have played in the PDP till now, is it right to say I cannot be consulted in taking decisions of the party? Certainly not.”

Wike further criticised the notion that internal crises could be blamed on the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), insisting that the PDP’s problems were self-inflicted.

“All these talks about APC are rubbish. Is it the APC that makes you take wrong decisions? You mean two or three people, because they are governors and receive large allocations, will go and decide, and you tell me to follow? Follow who?” he queried.

Speaking on the party’s planned national convention, Wike said the leadership had failed to complete necessary congresses and other key processes, which he claimed were stalling progress.

“If they do the right thing, will anybody stall the convention? They have not done the congresses and other things that should be in place,” he said.

The PDP has, in recent months, faced internal crises and a wave of defections involving top members such as Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah, Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, and the Governor of Akwa Ibom, Umo Eno. The party is also battling multiple legal suits over its forthcoming convention.