El-Rufai dismisses claims of opposing Tinubu

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, responded on Monday to claims that he didn’t support President Bola Tinubu during Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election, saying he’s moved past these allegations.

Tinubu, representing the All Progressives Congress (APC), won the election, beating his main rivals — Atiku Abubakar from the Peoples Democratic Party and Peter Obi from the Labour Party.

El-Rufai, an important APC leader, has been in the news lately, saying his views about how government should work won’t change, whether he’s part of Tinubu’s government or not.

On Sunday, someone named Yusuf Tukur posted on X (formerly Twitter) claiming that Tinubu and his supporters had eagerly sought El-Rufai’s help before the election but later said he hadn’t supported the president.

“When they were desperately seeking El-Rufai’s support, #officialABAT and his goons were everywhere singing Malam’s praises. Given their penchant for ingratitude, however, they’ve turned around to claim that Malam didn’t even support PBAT. But these testimonies say otherwise,” Tukur wrote.

El-Rufai replied on X, saying he hadn’t expected anything in return for his political support, and that recent events just showed how people behave.

“We did what we did for God, country, and party, expecting nothing in return. What is unfolding is merely another life experience and part of human nature. We have moved on, but their conscience won’t let them sleep well. Thanks anyway,” he wrote.

El-Rufai also explained his approach to politics, saying he doesn’t believe in pretending like some other politicians do.

“Truly, I don’t know how to pretend. Being a Nollywood actor in governance is for some others, not for some of us,” he said.