In a candid interview on ARISE TV’s ‘Prime Time’ on Monday, former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai revealed that he is uncertain whether he will support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
El-Rufai claimed that President Bola Tinubu was never his friend in 2023, but he only supported him because it was a collective decision of APC leaders in Kaduna.
He also expressed doubts about his continued membership in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) by that time.
El-Rufai’s comments have sparked speculation about his political future and the direction of his relationship with the APC.
El-Rufai said: “I don’t know (if I will support Tinubu in 2027). I will evaluate the situation at the time, and I will consult widely.
“When I supported President Tinubu before the primaries, it was a decision that the leaders of APC took in Kaduna. Who do we support? We succeeded in ensuring that power goes to the south, and we know that all the northern candidates will go nowhere, Yahaya Bello, Ahmed Lawan.
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“But among the southerners, who do we support, they know those that are my friends. Tinubu was not my friend. I was never close to him.
“But the consensus of the APC in Kaduna was that we should support Bola Tinubu because he is the one that is more likely to win. Politicians make these calculations.
“In 2027, I’m going to consult the same people. We are going to take the same decision, which candidate to support and in which party.”
Asked if he would support a Southern candidate in 2027, El-Rufai said: “Now I’m a private citizen. I’m not sure I would be in the APC 2027, so I cannot answer that question… Now in 2027, I will not be a governor, so I will not have the sort of clout that I had in 2023.”
