Former Kaduna State governor and ex–Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nasir El-Rufai, has rejected suggestions that he has fallen out personally with President Bola Tinubu, saying there was never a personal bond between them.
Speaking in an interview on Trust TV on Monday, El-Rufai said his backing of Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election was rooted in party discipline and political calculations, not friendship.
“I was never Tinubu’s friend. We never had a personal relationship like the one I had with General Buhari of blessed memory,” he said.
El-Rufai explained that his role in Tinubu’s emergence followed internal consultations within the All Progressives Congress (APC) and wider political engagements ahead of the polls.
“I was approached by certain Islamic stakeholders from the southwest to support the emergence of a southwest Muslim presidential candidate. That is how the discussions started,” he stated.
He said the APC’s zoning arrangement after the eight-year tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari made it clear that power would shift to the south.
“As governor of Kaduna and one of the founders of APC, I knew there was an understanding that after eight years of Buhari, power would return to the south. It wasn’t about Tinubu; he was merely an accidental beneficiary,” El-Rufai said.
According to him, once Tinubu clinched the party’s ticket, he committed fully to the campaign out of loyalty to the APC.
“It is a principle of mine to fight for the candidate of my party in every election, whether I like the candidate or not. The fact that he emerged as the party’s candidate meant I would give everything to ensure he won.”
However, El-Rufai said sharp differences became evident after the election, stemming from contrasting views on governance and public service.
“We didn’t fall out; we didn’t find areas of agreement. I am in government to serve the public and deliver results, not to enrich myself or appoint cronies,” he said.
He accused the current administration of operating on principles fundamentally opposed to his own.
“The philosophy of this government is contrary to everything I’ve been taught as a Muslim, a northerner, and a Nigerian. They came to govern the cake, to enrich themselves. We are different people, parallel lines that will never meet,” he said.
El-Rufai also revealed that these differences informed his decision to turn down a ministerial appointment offered by President Tinubu.
“If I had accepted the ministerial position that was publicly offered to me, I would have resigned shortly after. Our fundamental philosophies of governance are worlds apart,” he added.
