Ismail Abdulazeez Mantu Reporting
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has expressed deep regret over his support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, admitting that he and others backed Tinubu’s presidential bid despite being aware of his past controversies, including alleged drug-related and certificate forgery scandals.
Speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa, El-Rufai said he had hoped that Tinubu would replicate his developmental strides in Lagos at the national level, but he has been left disappointed.
“What pains me is that the government we supported and had confidence in would do well, because we saw what Tinubu did in Lagos despite his challenges. We all know about his issues in Chicago, but we thought if he could replicate his work in Lagos for Nigeria, let’s support him. However, he failed,” he lamented.
In a surprising twist, El-Rufai called on opposition leaders, including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, and Rauf Aregbesola, to unite under the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to challenge the ruling administration.
El-Rufai also defended his past political decisions, particularly his relationship with Atiku Abubakar, the former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“I never betrayed Atiku because we didn’t meet in politics; we met at work. If I see that someone hasn’t done well, I will say it, regardless of who they are. I told Buhari the truth, and I even took him to court over the naira redesign policy. When Obasanjo and Atiku clashed, we analyzed the situation and concluded that Obasanjo was right—not because of regional sentiments, but based on the facts. Today, Atiku and I are together, so if I betrayed him, why are we still aligned?” he stated.