Why I Fell Out with Tinubu — El-Rufai

Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has explained the reasons behind his reported differences with President Bola Tinubu, insisting that the dispute was never personal.

In an interview with Trust TV, El-Rufai said he and Tinubu never shared a close personal relationship. “I was never Tinubu’s friend. We never had a personal relationship like the one I had with General Buhari,” he said.

El-Rufai stated that his early support for Tinubu was based on principle rather than personal affinity. He said certain Islamic stakeholders from the southwest had approached him to back a southwest Muslim presidential candidate. As a founding member of the APC and then-governor of Kaduna, he viewed Tinubu as an incidental beneficiary of the understanding that power would return to the south after eight years of Buhari’s presidency. “It wasn’t about Tinubu; he was merely an accidental beneficiary,” he explained.

The former governor emphasized his commitment to party unity once Tinubu secured the APC nomination. “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.

El-Rufai said the real source of their differences lies 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. 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 stated.

He added that even if he had accepted a ministerial position offered by Tinubu, he would have eventually left the government due to these fundamental differences.