El-Rufai: I expected no reward for supporting Tinubu in 2023

Nasir el-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna, says his support for President Bola Tinubu in the 2023 election was altruistic. 

Tinubu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), won the presidential poll, defeating Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP).

Recently, el-Rufai has been locked in a war of words with some members of the Tinubu administration.

The spat began after the former minister criticised the ruling APC for “straying from its core values”.

El-Rufai’s comments struck a chord within the presidency, with Daniel Bwala, a presidential aide, asking el-Rufai if his take on the APC would have been different if he were a member of Tinubu’s cabinet.

The former minister of the federal capital territory (FCT) had subsequently said he would still criticise APC even if he were handed a role in the Tinubu administration.

On Sunday, Yusuf Tukur, an X user, claimed that Tinubu and his allies had sought el-Rufai’s support before the election but now accuse the ex-governor of not backing the president.

“When they were desperately seeking El-Rufai’s support, #officialABAT and his goons were everywhere singing Malam’s praises,” the tweet read.

“Given their penchant for ingratitude, however, they’ve turned around to claim that Malam didn’t even support PBAT. But these testimonies say otherwise.”

Reacting to the post on his X page, el-Rufai said his actions were driven by principle, not personal gain or expectations.

“We did what we did for God, country, and party, expecting nothing in return. What is unfolding is merely another life experience and part of human nature,” the APC chieftain said.

“We have moved on, but their conscience won’t let them sleep well. Thanks anyway.”

We did what we did for God, Country and Party, expecting nothing in return. What is unfolding is merely another life experience, @realYusufTukur, and part and parcel of human nature. We have got over it and moved on, but their conscience won’t let them sleep well. Thanks anyway.… https://t.co/Zjc6NQ8876

— Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai (@elrufai) February 10, 2025

On February 1, the ex-governor said he does not pretend and cannot become one of the politicians who morph into “Nollywood actors” once in government.