El-Rufai: Tinubu and I Never Got Along — I Backed Him on Principle, Not Friendship

Former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has said he was never a personal friend of President Bola Tinubu, dismissing public perceptions of a close relationship between them.

El-Rufai made the clarification during an interview on Daily Trust Television, where he explained that his support for Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election was based on principle rather than personal ties.

According to the former governor, his lack of a close relationship with Tinubu dates back to well before the latter emerged as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2022.

“There is an assumption that I was ever Tinubu’s friend. I was not. We never got along. We never had a personal relationship like the one I had with General Buhari,” El-Rufai said.

He noted that while he enjoyed a long-standing and cordial relationship with former President Muhammadu Buhari, the same could not be said of his interaction with Tinubu, stressing that political support does not always stem from friendship.

El-Rufai explained that his decision to back Tinubu was informed by his belief in what he described as the APC’s zoning arrangement and his conviction that the presidency should rotate to the southern part of the country.

The former governor’s comments come amid ongoing debates about internal dynamics within the APC and the roles played by key party figures during the 2023 general elections.

El-Rufai, who was a prominent member of the APC presidential campaign council, has in recent months spoken candidly about his political choices and relationships, fueling speculation about divisions within the ruling party.

As of the time of filing this report, the Presidency and the APC leadership had not reacted to his remarks.