Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has made a striking revelation, saying he never shared a personal or political bond with President Bola Tinubu.
Speaking during an interview on Trust TV, El-Rufai dismissed claims that he and Tinubu were ever friends or close allies. Instead, he described their paths as parallel lines that were never meant to meet.
“I think it’s important to make this clarification. There is an assumption that I was ever Tinubu’s friend. I was not. We never got along with Tinubu. We never had a personal relationship,” El-Rufai said.
According to him, his support for Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election was driven by party loyalty, not affection.
However, he stressed that his actions were guided by principle and internal agreements within the All Progressives Congress, APC.
“For me, Tinubu was initially just an aspirant of the party. I was approached by certain Islamic stakeholders from the Southwest and asked to support the emergence of a Southwest Muslim presidential candidate,” he stated.
El-Rufai explained that the decision was rooted in a power rotation understanding after former President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight-year tenure. Moreover, he said the agreement was about fairness, not personalities.
“As one of the founders of the APC, I knew that we had an understanding with the South, specifically the Southwest, that after eight years of Buhari, power would go to the South. It was a matter of principle. It wasn’t about Tinubu,” he said.
Once Tinubu clinched the party’s ticket, El-Rufai said he gave his full support. Nevertheless, he maintained that this commitment did not translate into shared values.
“It is a principle of mine that I fight for the candidate of my party in every election to win, whether I like the candidate or not,” he said.
However, cracks soon became visible after the election. El-Rufai noted that differences in values and governance style made cooperation difficult.
“We didn’t fall out. We just could not find areas of agreement. There was no equilibrium. We couldn’t agree,” he explained.
Furthermore, he criticised what he described as the governing approach of the current administration. He argued that public office should focus on service, not personal gain.
“I am in government for delivery, for results and performance. Public service is not about making money for yourself,” he said.
In addition, El-Rufai revealed that even a ministerial role would not have lasted. Therefore, he insisted their divide was inevitable.
“These guys didn’t come to govern. They came to enrich themselves, pure and simple,” he concluded.
