Former Kaduna state governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has stated that he has never had a personal or political relationship with President Bola Tinubu, insisting that their paths were never destined to align.

El-Rufai, who is a chieftain of the coalition-led African Democratic Congress (ADC), made the remarks during an interview on Trust TV, where he dismissed claims that he and Tinubu were once friends or political allies.

“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,” El-Rufai said.

According to him, his involvement in Tinubu’s 2023 presidential campaign was not driven by personal loyalty but by political principle and party discipline within the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“For me, Tinubu was initially just an aspirant of the party. I was approached by certain Islamic stakeholders from the Southwest and asked to support the emergence of a Southwest Muslim presidential candidate,” he stated.

According to El-Rufai, his support was anchored on an understanding within the party that power would shift to the South after eight years of the administration 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 Southwest, that after eight years of Buhari, power would go to the South. It was a matter of principle. It wasn’t about Tinubu,” he said.

He added that once Tinubu emerged as the party’s candidate, he committed himself fully to ensuring the APC’s victory at the polls.

“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. And that’s what I did,” El-Rufai said.

However, the former governor noted that fundamental differences in values and governance philosophy eventually widened the gap between both men.

“We didn’t fall out. We just could not find areas of agreement. There was no equilibrium. We couldn’t agree,” he explained.

El-Rufai was particularly critical of what he described as the governing philosophy of the Tinubu administration, stressing that it conflicted with his 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.

He further revealed that even if his proposed appointment into Tinubu’s cabinet had materialised, it would not have lasted.

“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,” El-Rufai declared.

The former governor said the sharp contrast in values between himself and the President made any long-term 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,” he said

I was never Tinubu's friend — El-Rufai

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