My support for Tinubu was political, not personal — El-Rufai
Former Kaduna State Governor and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has dismissed claims of a personal fallout with President Bola Tinubu, saying he never had a personal relationship with the president.
Speaking on Monday during an interview on Trust TV, El-Rufai explained that his support for Tinubu’s 2023 presidential bid was based on party loyalty and political considerations, not friendship.
“I was never Tinubu’s friend. We never had a personal relationship like the one I had with General Muhammadu Buhari of blessed memory,” he said.
El-Rufai stated that his role in Tinubu’s emergence followed consultations within the All Progressives Congress (APC) and engagements with political stakeholders ahead of the election.
He revealed that he was approached by Islamic leaders from the South-West to support the emergence of a Muslim presidential candidate from the region, adding that zoning arrangements within the APC made a southern presidency inevitable after President Buhari’s eight-year tenure.
According to him, once Tinubu emerged as the party’s candidate, he committed himself fully to the campaign in line with his principle of supporting his party’s flagbearer.
However, El-Rufai said disagreements surfaced after the election due to differing philosophies of governance, stressing that he believes public office should be about service and results, not personal enrichment.
He added that these differences informed his decision to decline a ministerial appointment from Tinubu, noting that he would have resigned shortly after if he had accepted the offer.
