El-Rufai Drops Bombshell, Says He Was Never Tinubu’s Friend and Only Supported Him for Party Politics

Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has finally pulled back the curtain on his fractured relationship with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, revealing that the “political bromance” witnessed during the 2023 elections was nothing more than a strategic façade.

In a startlingly blunt interview on Monday, the former Governor of Kaduna State dismissed the widely held perception that he and the President were close allies. “I was never Tinubu’s friend,” El-Rufai stated unequivocally. “We never had a personal relationship like the one I shared with General Buhari. My support for him in 2023 was a matter of party principle and political arrangement, not personal loyalty.”

El-Rufai explained that his decision to campaign for Tinubu was a “cold calculation” based on his belief that power should rotate to the South after Buhari’s eight-year tenure. He also revealed that his endorsement was partially a response to appeals from high-ranking Islamic stakeholders in the Southwest who wanted a Muslim-Muslim ticket. “Tinubu simply happened to be the beneficiary of a principle I was fighting for,” he added.

The “Accidental Public Servant” didn’t stop at personal distance; he launched a scathing critique of the current government’s direction, claiming its philosophy is “contrary to everything I have been taught.” This public disavowal marks the most significant split in the APC’s founding core and confirms that El-Rufai has officially moved from a “silent dissenter” to an active opposition leader.

As rumors swirl that El-Rufai is currently coordinating a massive “Mega Party” merger involving the SDP and disgruntled PDP members, his latest comments suggest that the “State of Harmony” within the APC has permanently shattered. For the man who once helped sweep Tinubu into power, the message is clear: the alliance is dead, and the 2027 battle lines have been drawn in the sand.