Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has warned President Bola Tinubu that he and his supporters will learn their lesson in the 2027 elections.
El-Rufai claimed that Tinubu’s camp is now taking his support for granted, despite the crucial role northern governors played in his 2023 presidential victory.
“For us as Northern APC governors, the first concern we had was, after eight years of Buhari, power should go to the South,” El-Rufai explained.
The decision to support Tinubu was based on the understanding that power should rotate to the south after eight years of northern leadership under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“We didn’t start by saying we want A or B to be president. We just said, look power should go to the south,” El-Rufai added.
El-Rufai emphasized that the support of northern governors was decisive in Tinubu’s primaries and general election victories.
“Bola Tinubu’s puppeteers are now denying that. They are saying all kinds of things, and they will learn their lesson in 2027,” El-Rufai stated.
El-Rufai recently defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), citing his intention to work towards defeating Tinubu in 2027.
He has been actively building an opposition coalition, emphasizing the need for a people-driven alternative to the current government.
“Governors do not determine election results. The people do,” El-Rufai said, highlighting his party’s focus on grassroots support.