2027: You’re an opportunist  —  Former CPC chief blasts El-Rufai

Farouk Aliyu, Former Minority leader of the House of Representatives and founding member of the Congress for Progressive Change, has described Malam Nasir El-Rufai as an opportunist whose loyalty is only tied to what he gains from politics.

El-Rufai was among the northern politicians who galvanized support for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2023 presidential election, but recently, the former Governor of Kaduna started opposing his administration, criticising the president, describing him as the worst Nigerians have ever experienced.

He later dumped the ruling All progressives Congress (APC) for the Social Democratic Party (SDP), where he currently champions calls for a coalition of opposition parties to out Tinubu in 2027.

While El-Rufai garnered support for the SDP and the coalition, many Nigerians opine that his opposition to Tinubu is because he did not get the ministerial appointment he was promised.

Speaking on Arise Television’s ‘The Morning Show’ on Friday, Farouk said El-Rufai’s claim that President Bola Tinubu is the most corrupt is subjective. He added that the ex-governor would have been out insulting northern political leaders and other politicians if Tinubu had appointed him as a minister. 

“I want members of the elite to know that it is about us, the elite. When the elite loses out, they start screaming because if Nasir had been made a minister, today he would have been at the forefront of insulting people, but he lost out, and he cannot see it as an act of God. 

“The same party that made you a governor for eight years, all of a sudden because you’re out of governance, you start insulting people, bringing divisiveness into this country. This is the same northerner, who said whether northerners like it or not, it must be Tinubu. I want the public to know that political elites in this country are one and the same and most of us are dishonest,” Farouk asserted.

Farouk said he has been one of the pillars of support for former President Muhammadu Buhari from his CPC days, and despite not getting a political appointment from him, he did not stop supporting him throughout his eight years in power.

Summarily, Farouk described El-Rufai as a hypocrite and an opportunist, saying the ex-governor’s opposition to the APC and Tinubu’s government is all about his selfish interest and not Nigerians.