Nigeria: El-Rufai: ‘Tinubu and I are parallel lines that will never meet’

By Zuleihat Owuiye, Mamos Nigeria

Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai has stated that he never had any personal or political relationship with President Bola Tinubu, insisting that their paths were never destined to align. El-Rufai, a chieftain of the coalition-led African Democratic Congress (ADC), made the remarks in a television interview.

El-Rufai dismissed claims that he and Tinubu were once friends or political allies, saying, “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.”

He explained that his involvement in Tinubu’s 2023 presidential bid was driven by political principle and party discipline within the All Progressives Congress (APC), rather than personal loyalty. “For me, Tinubu was initially just an aspirant of the party. I was approached by certain Islamic stakeholders from the South-West and asked to support the emergence of a South-West Muslim presidential candidate,” he stated.

El-Rufai’s support was anchored on an understanding within the party that power would shift to the South after eight years of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. “As one of the founders of the APC, I knew that we had an understanding with the South, specifically the South-West, that after eight years of Buhari, power would go to the South. It was a matter of principle. It wasn’t about Tinubu.”

Once Tinubu emerged as the party’s candidate, El-Rufai committed himself fully to ensuring APC’s victory at the polls. “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. Tinubu emerged as the candidate, and I gave everything to ensure that he won.”

However, fundamental differences in values and governance philosophy eventually widened the gap between them. “We didn’t fall out. We just could not find areas of agreement. There was no equilibrium. We couldn’t agree,” El-Rufai explained.

He criticized the governing philosophy of the Tinubu administration, stressing that it conflicted with his understanding of public service. “I am in government for delivery, for results and performance. Public service is not about making money for yourself, it’s not about stealing, it’s not about appointing your cronies or your tribesmen.”

El-Rufai revealed that even if his proposed appointment into Tinubu’s cabinet had materialized, it would not have lasted. “Even if the offer that Tinubu made to me to be a minister had gone through, I would have left the government long ago. The philosophy of this government is contrary to everything I have been taught as a Muslim, as a northerner, and as a Nigerian.”

He is clear that the sharp contrast in values between himself and the President makes any long-term alignment impossible. “These guys didn’t come to govern, they came to enrich themselves, pure and simple. We are different people. So it should not surprise anybody that knows me and knows Tinubu to see that we are parallel lines that will never meet,” he said.