Malam Nasir El-Rufai, the former Governor of Kaduna State, has acknowledged that he and other political figures supported President Bola Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election, despite being aware of the controversy surrounding Tinubu’s academic records from Chicago State University. In an interview with BBC, El-Rufai explained that they supported Tinubu based on his achievements as the Governor of Lagos State, believing that he would bring similar success to Nigeria.
“What pains me is that the government we supported, and had confidence in, would do well. We know what Tinubu did in Lagos, we are all aware of his Chicago records, but we said if he can do the same as he did in Lagos, that will make Nigeria great, and we will support him,” El-Rufai stated.
This admission comes after El-Rufai’s defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) on March 10, 2025, following his criticisms of the Tinubu administration. Since joining the SDP, El-Rufai has been actively recruiting other politicians to build a coalition to challenge the APC's dominance in the 2027 election.
In his new political journey, El-Rufai has met with influential figures like Pastor Tunde Bakare and former Tinubu ally, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. He has also urged former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s presidential candidate Peter Obi to join his movement in a bid to unseat the APC in the upcoming elections.
Addressing speculation about his presidential ambitions for 2027, El-Rufai clarified that the decision would not solely be up to him, but would depend on the party and the people. He reflected on his past experience, saying, “It is not for me to decide, it is the party and the people that will decide. Even when I was contesting for governor, it was people that met and convinced (Muhammadu) Buhari, and he called me and asked me to contest.”
El-Rufai’s remarks provide a glimpse into the political maneuvering in preparation for the 2027 elections, where he and other opposition figures are positioning themselves for a possible challenge to the APC's grip on power.
