Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, has declared that he never had a personal or political relationship with President Bola Tinubu, insisting their paths were “parallel lines that will never meet.”
El-Rufai, now a leading figure in the coalition-backed African Democratic Congress (ADC), made the remarks during a television interview, dismissing claims that he and the President were once allies or friends.
“I think it’s important to make this clarification. There is an assumption that I was ever Tinubu’s friend. I was not. We never got along with Tinubu. We never had a personal relationship,” he said.
‘Support Was Based on Principle, Not Loyalty’
The former governor explained that his support for Tinubu’s 2023 presidential bid was rooted in party principles rather than personal loyalty.
According to him, he was approached by Islamic stakeholders from the South-West who urged him to back the emergence of a South-West Muslim presidential candidate under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“For me, Tinubu was initially just an aspirant of the party,” he stated, adding that the APC had an internal understanding that power would rotate to the South after the eight-year tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“As one of the founders of the APC, I knew that we had an understanding with the South, specifically the South-West, that after eight years of Buhari, power would go to the South.
It was a matter of principle. It wasn’t about Tinubu,” El-Rufai said.
He stressed that once Tinubu emerged as the APC’s candidate, he threw his weight behind the campaign in line with his long-standing political philosophy.
“It is a principle of mine that I fight for the candidate of my party in every election to win, whether I like the candidate or not.
Tinubu emerged as the candidate, and I gave everything to ensure that he won.”
‘We Couldn’t Find Equilibrium’
However, El-Rufai said fundamental differences in values and governance philosophy ultimately created an unbridgeable divide between them.
“We didn’t fall out. We just could not find areas of agreement.
There was no equilibrium. We couldn’t agree,” he explained.
The former governor was particularly critical of what he described as the governing style of the Tinubu administration, arguing that it clashes with his own understanding of public service.
“I am in government for delivery, for results and performance.
Public service is not about making money for yourself, it’s not about stealing, it’s not about appointing your cronies or your tribesmen,” he said.
El-Rufai also revealed that even if his reported nomination for a ministerial position had been successful, he would not have remained in the administration.
“Even if the offer that Tinubu made to me to be a minister had gone through, I would have left the government long ago.
The philosophy of this government is contrary to everything I have been taught as a Muslim, as a northerner, and as a Nigerian,” he declared.
He concluded by stating that the sharp contrast in values between himself and the President made any lasting political alignment impossible.
“These guys didn’t come to govern, they came to enrich themselves, pure and simple. We are different people.
So it should not surprise anybody that knows me and knows Tinubu to see that we are parallel lines that will never meet.”
