Nasir El-Rufai, the immediate past governor of Kaduna state says his support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election was not personal, saying his action was purely based on his loyalty to the All Progressives Congress, APC.
According to the former governor, he and president Tinubu had no friendly relationship before the election, adding that he chose t support the former Lagos state governor because the party had chosen him as the presidential candidate.
El Rufai spoke in an interview with Trust TV on Monday as he intensifies his attacks on President Tinubu over the latter’s quest for reelection in 2027.
The former governor, a member of the African Democratic Congress, ADC has vowed to ensure that Tinubu is not returned to office next year.
“Anybody that thinks it is possible for President Bola Tinubu to get re-elected is living in another country, not Nigeria. It is impossible for Bola Tinubu to get re-elected
“I don’t see a pathway for him,” El Rufai said sometimes last year
Not a few insist that the former FCT Minister still blames President Tinubu for missing a ministerial appointment in 2023, after the Senate refused to clear him, citing security reasons.
They said the duo was allies before the 2023 election but set apart after El rufai failed the ministerial hurdles.
But reacting, the former Kaduna helmsman said there was no time he had a close relationship with Tinubu, that the reason he campaigned for him was because he wanted to prove his loyalty to the ruling party.
“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 8 years of Buhari, power would return to the south. It wasn’t about Tinubu; he was merely an accidental beneficiary.
He stressed that he supported Tinubu as the APC presidential candidate because the party picked him.
He said: “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.”
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