A political group, 2027 Tinubu Group of Defenders, has warned politicians to steer clear of former Kaduna state governor, Nasir El-Rufai, stating that no true democrat or believer in justice should associate with him.
Speaking in Kaduna, the group urged Nigerians to stop blaming President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for not appointing El-Rufai as a minister, insisting that his past actions made him unfit for such a role.
“El-Rufai behaves as if tomorrow will never come, believing he can always manipulate others by portraying himself as a saint. However, with time, his façade will fade, revealing his true nature,” the group said.
They challenged El-Rufai to respond to allegations against him, lamenting that those who were not directly affected by his governance continue to celebrate him out of ignorance.
Listing what it described as El-Rufai’s “legacy of sorrow, deception, and lies,” the group outlined 15 major grievances against the former governor. They accused him of turning demolitions into a governance style, destroying markets and businesses without compensation or relocation plans. They alleged that he sacked traditional rulers indiscriminately, disregarding their role in community stability, and ignored victims of a bomb blast that occurred during his tenure.
The group further accused him of mass retrenchment of workers without proper compensation, inciting statements against Southern Kaduna, halting the Ramadan feeding program for the less privileged, and demolishing homes at the peak of the rainy season. They blamed him for the hike in tuition fees that forced many students out of school, defying court judgments, and targeting religious centres for demolition.
Other allegations include privatizing public assets under questionable circumstances, excessive borrowing without accountability, persecution of political opponents, arbitrary dismissal of civil servants, and a general lack of transparency in governance.
The group insisted that El-Rufai’s governance style was marked by arrogance and disregard for the rule of law, warning that his involvement in national politics would be detrimental to Nigeria’s future.
“El-Rufai has been in government since 1999 and cannot even stay out of power for two years. Even if Nigeria was created for him, he nominated a replacement, his son is in the House of Representatives, one of his allies is in the Central Bank, and another, Hadiza Bala Usman, is in Tinubu’s cabinet. He should learn to give others a chance,” the statement added.
The group called on Nigerians to be wary of El-Rufai’s political maneuvers, urging them not to fall for what they described as his carefully crafted public image.