 |
| Photo credit — El-Rufai |
Former political associates of Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, have rejected claims that they betrayed him. In a statement released in Kaduna, members of a group calling itself Kaduna De-Initiative said the former governor had abandoned the political understanding that previously bound them together.
The group includes Mukhtar Isa Hazo (former Deputy Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly), Nasiru Abdullahi Maikano (former SDP chairman in the state and four-time House of Assembly member), former commissioners Ja’afaru Sani, Shehu Usman Makarfi and Abdu Kwari, and Bashir Saidu (former Commissioner for Local Government Affairs and Finance and two-time Chief of Staff to El-Rufai).
According to the statement, the associates supported, campaigned for, and helped build political structures for El-Rufai across the state. They said the relationship later became strained due to what they described as marginalisation, disagreements, and a loss of mutual trust.
The group announced its return to the All Progressives Congress (APC) following a reconciliation initiative by current Governor Uba Sani. Members said the move was driven by the need to take responsibility for their own political future and that of their supporters.
Rejecting descriptions of themselves as disgruntled politicians seeking relevance, the group stated: “We are not a handful of disgruntled individuals looking for political relevance. Our members have contested elections, won and lost elections, mobilised communities and built political relationships across the 23 local government areas of Kaduna State.”
They added: “We did not abandon El-Rufai; rather, we believe El-Rufai abandoned the political understanding that had bound us together.”
RELATED ▶︎▶︎ Peter Obi and Dele Momodu Call for Nasir El-Rufai’s Release from Detention
Origins of the Differences
The former allies traced the start of tensions to El-Rufai’s second term. They alleged that after his 2019 re-election, some associates felt increasingly excluded from decision-making. They also claimed that members of the former governor’s family gradually gained greater influence in government affairs.
“Our grievance was never that El-Rufai relied on members of his family or trusted associates,” the statement said. “The concern was the growing dominance of family interests and the weakening of the wider political structure that had supported the administration.”
According to the group, the relationship was already seriously strained by 2023 and worsened after El-Rufai left office.
The 2027 Contest as the Breaking Point
The politics around the 2027 governorship race on the African Democratic Congress (ADC) platform was described as the final rupture. The group said its political camp had regarded former commissioner Ja’afaru Sani as the preferred successor around whom their structure would be organised.
“Ja’afaru Sani was the person around whom our political structure was expected to rally for the 2027 governorship contest,” they stated.
They alleged that El-Rufai instead backed his former political rival, Isa Ashiru, during the ADC governorship primary. “Instead of supporting the political arrangement we had built, El-Rufai chose to support Isa Ashiru, a former political opponent,” the group claimed.
The associates argued that political loyalty is not a permanent debt. “Political loyalty cannot be treated as a permanent debt. El-Rufai had the right to make his political choices, and we also have the right to make ours,” they said.
This account reflects the position of the Kaduna De-Initiative group. Other parties involved have not been quoted here; further responses may emerge as the 2027 political alignments in Kaduna continue to develop.
Samuel O. Sulaimon is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Naijapiz. He covers News, Sports, Finance, Faiths, Education, Technology.
Post a Comment