Nasir El-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna State, has revealed that he and other politicians supported President Bola Tinubu in the 2023 elections despite being aware of the controversy surrounding his academic records at Chicago University in the United States.
In an interview with BBC Hausa, El-Rufai, who recently defected from the APC to the SDP, explained that their support for Tinubu was based on his achievements as the governor of Lagos and their belief that he could bring similar success to the presidency.
“What hurts me is that we supported a government in which we had confidence, believing it would perform well because we saw what Tinubu accomplished in Lagos despite his challenges,” El-Rufai said. “We were aware of his issues in Chicago, but we thought if he could replicate his success in Lagos for Nigeria, we should back him. Unfortunately, he failed.”
El-Rufai also addressed rumors about his potential presidential bid in the 2027 elections, stating that the decision would not be up to him but would be determined by his party and the people.
“It’s not for me to decide; it’s the party and the people who will make that choice. Even when I ran for governor, it was the people who met with Buhari and convinced him, and he called me to ask me to run.”
El-Rufai has been openly critical of Tinubu’s administration, particularly after the Senate declined to confirm him as a minister.
