The political drama between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has once again taken center stage, offering the public a fresh, if predictable, reminder of Obasanjo’s unique place in Nigerian history. Speaking recently, Obasanjo disclosed that he rejected the push to install El-Rufai as his successor in 2007 because he deemed the then-minister “immature.” This revelation, made nearly two decades after the fact, is less about historical correction and more about Obasanjo’s perennial need to control the narrative.
The Egocentric Revisionism
The comment about El-Rufai’s “immaturity” is vintage Obasanjo. It is a calculated judgment delivered from a self-erected pedestal, reinforcing the image of Obasanjo as the omniscient political patriarch whose wisdom guides the destiny of Nigeria’s leadership. The statement is not just an assessment of El-Rufai’s past readiness but a forceful re-affirmation of Obasanjo’s own prerogative and supreme judgement in the most consequential political decisions. This is the essence of the “egocentric” trait you describe—the constant centering of self as the sole validator of political quality and historical truth.
The Eccentric Delivery
The manner of the disclosure adds the “eccentric” flair for which the former President is known. Interrupting a public event to taunt another former official and then casually dropping a highly sensitive, long-held secret about a potential presidential succession is a classic Obasanjo move. He bypasses the conventional political analysis and instead prefers the dramatic, unscripted intervention that guarantees maximum media attention. This style often makes it difficult to separate genuine political insight from a desire for personal grandstanding.
The Problem of the Perpetual Kingmaker
While Obasanjo’s cabinet produced many notable reformers, the continual public assessment of his former subordinates—sometimes praising their “special attributes” and other times branding them “immature”—is problematic. It keeps the political ecosystem in a perpetual state of subservience to one man’s retrospective opinion.
One must ask: Does this latest public pronouncement truly benefit the national conversation on leadership, or is it merely another exercise in legacy management, ensuring that every major political crossroad of the Fourth Republic remains tied to his personal decision-making? The relationship between Obasanjo and El-Rufai, marked by periods of close collaboration and equally intense public friction, is a microcosm of Nigeria’s elite politics—brilliant, combative, and forever overshadowed by the commanding voice of one man.
The nation has moved on from 2007, but for Obasanjo, the jury on his former subordinates’ “maturity” is always in session, and he is the permanent judge.
By: Dare Adelekan
