By Kingston Magare 10.2.2026
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai has accused the government of President Bola Tinubu of pursuing an agenda that benefits only a few individuals rather than the general populace.
Mr. El-Rufai who was speaking on Trust TV Tuesday explained that this was one of the reasons he had a fall-out with President Tinubu whom he helped to winning the 2023 elections.
“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,” El-Rufai said.
The former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory explained that his initial support for President Tinubu was not driven by friendship, but by principle.
“I was never Tinubu’s friend. We never had a personal relationship like the one I had with General Buhari,” El-Rufai said.
“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. 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,” he stated.
“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,” he added.
He also noted that even if he had accepted Tinubu’s publicly offered ministerial position, he would have left the government due to those fundamental differences in philosophy.