Former Kaduna State Governor and ex-Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nasir El-Rufai, has stated that his support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election was driven by political calculations rather than any personal relationship.
Speaking in an interview on Trust TV, El-Rufai dismissed claims that he had a personal fallout with the President, insisting that the two never shared a close bond.
“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.
According to El-Rufai, his role in Tinubu’s emergence as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate followed internal party consultations and strategic considerations ahead of the election.
“I was approached by certain Islamic stakeholders from the South-West to support the emergence of a South-West Muslim presidential candidate. That is how the discussions started,” he explained.
He added that the zoning arrangement within the APC after President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight-year tenure made the return of power to the South almost inevitable.
“As governor of Kaduna and one of the founders of the 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 said.
El-Rufai noted that once Tinubu secured the party’s ticket, he threw his weight fully behind the campaign out of loyalty to party principles.
“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 said.
However, he revealed that differences surfaced after the election due to what he described as sharp contrasts in governance philosophy.
“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,” El-Rufai stated.
He argued that the direction of the current administration conflicts with his personal values.
“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 disclosed that he declined a ministerial appointment offered by President Tinubu because of these differences.
“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.
