This Man Obasanjo: From Coup Convict to Africa’s Statesman Who Brokered Ruto-Raila Deal

Former President of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo led mediation between Kenya’s Head of State William Ruto and the opposition leader Raila Odinga in 2023. The former head of state had a hybrid career in the military and as a civilian, earning him statesmanship on the African continent. 

Obasanjo was sentenced to prison in 1995 for allegedly plotting a coup against the then-President of Nigeria, Sani Abacha, and was only released in 1998 following Abacha’s death. 

Born in 1937, Olusegun Obasanjo is a former teacher who later joined the army, served as a military ruler, and served as the civilian President of Nigeria. 

Obasanjo, then a military leader, handed over power to a civilian government in 1979 before becoming Nigeria’s President from 1999 to 2007. 

He led the commando unit against Biafran secessionists during the Nigerian Civil War, which saw the Biafrans surrender. Obasanjo is an Evangelical Christian of Yoruba descent (and a former Baptist Christian) from the Southwest of Nigeria.

In both instances of his leadership, the first as a military leader and the second as the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, he assumed the presidency because the former leader had died. Obasanjo is unusual among Nigerian leaders for shying away from the spotlight and not actively seeking power.

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Moreover, Obasanjo was a critic of military rule, and particularly of the Sani Obachi regime. He was sentenced to prison in 1995 for allegedly plotting a coup against Abacha.

During the 1999 elections, Obasanjo received significant support from northern Muslims due to the backing of former military leader Ibrahim Babangida. This support was partly because of his awareness of and tact towards military politics, and also for his ability to allay southern fears of northern political dominance.

However, Obasanjo was critical of the spread of Islamic courts in the north, and he subsequently lost much of the northern support when he ran for reelection in 2003, which he won, buoyed by the southern vote.

Obasanjo’s Mediation efforts in Kenya

In 2017, after Kenya’s hotly contested presidential elections pitting Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga, Obasanjo passionately called for peace and dialogue. 

“The world is waiting for the final declaration of the election and the reactions. Allegations of hacking into the electoral system have been made.

This, of course, as a technical issue, must be thoroughly investigated by a non-partisan committee of experts, regardless of the final declaration of the election result.

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The world is also waiting anxiously to see that peace continues to prevail after the formal declaration of the election result,” Olusegun Obasanjo said in 2017. 

5 years later, Obasanjo finds himself in the middle of Kenya’s political crisis, pitting Odinga and President William Ruto.

After weeks of vicious anti-government protests, Odinga and Ruto agreed to hold talks aimed at ending the political standoff, with the hope that the two sides would reach a compromise under the leadership of Obasanjo.

When Odinga died on October 15, 2025, Obasanjo attended Raila’s State Funeral in Siaya County, where he recounted his friendship with Odinga. 

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