Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has launched a scathing attack on the administration of President Bola Tinubu, describing it as worse than any military regime Nigeria has ever experienced.
El-Rufai made the comments during a solidarity visit from former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over the weekend, following a recent attack at the inauguration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Kaduna State.
Thugs had disrupted the inauguration ceremony, prompting accusations and counter-accusations between El-Rufai and the Kaduna State Government regarding who was responsible for the violence.
In the aftermath, the police summoned El-Rufai and other ADC leaders for questioning over alleged public disturbance.
During his meeting with Atiku, El-Rufai accused President Tinubu of authoritarian tendencies and condemned his centralization of power, claiming it undermines the principles of democracy and federalism.
“Honestly sir, to me, it is even a disgrace. I mean, for people to behave the way they are behaving, it means that all the years of saying that we are for democracy and NADECO, all the claims that we are fighting for true federalism and so on—it was all a pretense, all fake again,” El-Rufai said.
“This government (Tinubu’s) is trying to centralize everything instead of devolving power to the lower levels.”
He likened the president’s leadership style to that of Paul Biya, Cameroon’s long-time leader who has held onto power since 1982.
“We are facing an evil of such a large proportion in the history of this country that if we don’t come together and end this Tinubu administration by 2027, Tinubu will try to be our Paul Biya. All the signs are there, this is how Paul Biya started,” he warned.
El-Rufai went further, claiming that even under former military and civilian regimes, political opposition was not stifled to the extent it is today.
“You (Atiku Abubakar) are our leader. You have done this fight before. You have fought the military. You have experience in democratic governance.
When you and Obasanjo were in charge of this country, no one was being harassed because they had a different political view, never, not once,” he said.
“Even President Buhari, with his military background, never did that. And here we are, facing full-fledged civilians, but they are worse than any military regime we’ve ever had.”
El-Rufai echoed Atiku’s earlier calls for unity among opposition parties and urged a joint effort to defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.
“Your call that we must unite is a timely one. I think the people of Nigeria have made up their minds that APC must be voted out.
Nigerians are looking forward to Tinubu’s ouster. We must provide the leadership and unity of purpose that we have talked about,” he said.
“With your leadership, forbearance, and diplomatic skills of bringing people together, I am sure we will reach the Promised Land.”
In response, Atiku Abubakar commended El-Rufai for speaking out and reaffirmed his commitment to democratic change in 2027.
He emphasized the need for all opposition stakeholders to remain steadfast and work together to ensure a peaceful democratic transition.
