Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed how he handled rejection from his own ethnic group during his first presidential campaign. In a recent interview with Symfoni TV from 17:21, he described an important lesson about respecting cultural values even in the face of political opposition.
Speaking candidly about his 1999 presidential run, Obasanjo recalled how the main Yoruba social-cultural group refused to support him, despite his Yoruba heritage. “In 1999, the leading Yoruba social-cultural group said they would not vote for me, and they did not vote for me. And I’m a Yoruba man,” he stated.
Rather than distance himself from the group, Obasanjo chose to maintain cultural protocols. “I went to them, and they repeatedly said they would not vote for me,” he explained. “I repeatedly said, ‘Yes, as a well-born and well-brought-up Yoruba man, culturally, I should report to you. Whether you vote for me or you do not vote for me, it does not matter.'”