Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has issued a stark warning to President Bola Tinubu, stating that the President and his supporters will "learn their lesson" in the 2027 elections. El-Rufai made these remarks during a recent interview with Arise News, where he expressed frustration over what he perceives as ingratitude from the Tinubu administration.
According to El-Rufai, the critical support provided by northern governors that helped secure Tinubu's victory in the 2023 presidential election is now being undermined and unappreciated.
Northern Governors' Support Was Decisive
"It was the support of the governors of the northwest, northeast, and north-central that was decisive in determining the outcome of the primaries, as well as the election," El-Rufai stated emphatically.
The former governor, who was once considered a close ally of President Tinubu, added: "Of course, Bola Tinubu's puppeteers are now denying that. They are saying all kinds of things, and they will learn their lesson in 2027."
Power Rotation Was Primary Consideration
El-Rufai explained that the northern APC governors' initial concern was ensuring power shifted to the South after President Muhammadu Buhari's eight-year tenure.
"For us as Northern APC governors, the first concern we had was, after eight years of Buhari, power should go to the South. We believed that there was such an understanding in our party," he said.
"We're part of the formation of the party, and we felt that that was an honorable thing that must be upheld. So that was the first step. We didn't start by saying we want A or B to be president. We just said, look, power should go to the south."
Strategic Calculations Behind Tinubu Support
The former Kaduna governor revealed that after agreeing on power rotation, the northern governors then considered which southern candidate had the best chance of winning.
"The second step is now that power has gone to the South. Who do we support that we think will have a chance of winning? Because you want your party to win, you want to be the party in power. And lots of calculations went into that, and Bola Tinubu became the beneficiary of that," El-Rufai explained.
These comments come amid growing speculation about political realignments ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with El-Rufai reportedly involved in discussions about forming a new political coalition.
The relationship between El-Rufai and President Tinubu has reportedly deteriorated since the 2023 elections, with the former governor now emerging as one of the administration's vocal critics.
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