Bello El-Rufai, a member of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, has admitted that he was misguided in his past criticisms of former President Goodluck Jonathan, attributing his actions to youthful naivety.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday evening, the Kaduna lawmaker publicly expressed regret and extended an apology for the way he once spoke about Jonathan’s administration, which ran from 2010 to 2015.
El-Rufai reflected on how, in hindsight, he had underestimated the quality of governance during Jonathan’s tenure.
“I even forgot in my naivety, as many young people do, that we had governance then,” he said.
He recounted a personal moment that triggered his realization.
According to him, it occurred during a visit to his father, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, when he saw him preparing to meet the ex-president for political consultations.
“There was a time I paid my father a visit and noticed that he was going out. I asked where he was going.
“And he said he was going to see President Jonathan, and I paused because when I was naive or when I thought ego or gratification mattered, I used to be very active in criticising President Jonathan.”
Moved by this new understanding, Bello said he urged his father to relay an apology to Jonathan.
“I found my father saying that he will consult President Jonathan. I said: ‘please, when you see him, tell him I am very sorry, I am wiser now’.”
He also praised Jonathan’s statesmanship, particularly for conceding defeat in the 2015 election—an uncommon gesture in African politics.
“The system is a problem. Now, why did I mention President Jonathan? It takes a lot, particularly in Africa, to lose an election and leave. He (Jonathan) did that,” El-Rufai added.
