Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser on Public Communications and Media to President Bola Tinubu, has downplayed the political relevance of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai, asserting that his coalition movement has lost momentum and public interest.
Speaking on AIT’s Focus Nigeria on Wednesday, May 14, Bwala said the coalition el-Rufai is allegedly spearheading lacks the grassroots traction needed for national influence. “Nobody talks about him. Nobody looks for him,” Bwala stated, adding that El-Rufai’s political decline began even before the end of his second term.
Without initially naming el-Rufai, Bwala described “a former governor” trying to gain attention through a political coalition. When asked directly if he was referring to el-Rufai, Bwala confirmed, “Okay, yes.”
He argued that perceptions of Northern political dominance are often exaggerated, with influence attributed to a few disconnected elites. “People identify five eggheads and call them the North. Some of them are disconnected from the source,” he said.
Bwala also referenced electoral losses during el-Rufai’s second term as evidence of waning influence: “The APC lost three Senate seats, several House of Reps seats, and the president lost the election in Kaduna.”
He likened El-Rufai’s political momentum to “Andrew Liver Salts”—a brief fizz that quickly fades. “Even when he started, it was like that. It calmed down.”
Bwala added that even those within the emerging coalition are encouraging el-Rufai to return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), suggesting a lack of confidence in the coalition’s viability.
Defending President Tinubu’s political strength, Bwala rejected claims of waning support, citing large crowds during a recent presidential visit to Katsina. “From the airport to the city, people lined up,” he said, insisting the president still commands significant public goodwill.
