El-Rufai vs Tinubu: APC chief predicts how Nigerians will vote in 2027

Nasir El-Rufai

Podar Yiljwan Johnson, a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Plateau state chapter, said the former Kaduna state governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai is free to contest for president in the 2027 general election.

Recall that El-Rufai returned recently to Nigeria's political space after taking a break from politics and floating a $100 million business venture.

There are speculations that the immediate past governor of Kaduna is plotting to run for president in 2027, after supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Tinubu in the 2023 election.

Following El-Rufai's fallout with Tinubu due to the controversy that surrounded his ministerial appointment, the former governor joined the growing list of powerful politicians who may work against the president's re-election in 2027.

This came on the heels of his recent meetings and consultations with top political players in the nation's polity. However, the former governor has not declared his candidacy and even addressed the reported defection to SDP ahead of 2027.

Speaking exclusively with Legit.ng on the matter, on Tuesday, April 30, Comrade Johnson said: “For El-Rufai, he is a Nigerian, free to express his constitutional right to contest. It is now left for Nigerians to judge his past and present behaviour to enable them to decide.

“I'm sure in 2027, Nigerians will not vote based on religion but on character and policies for a better future.”

In another development, Legit.ng reported that, amid criticism of his previous government, El-Rufai said on Monday, April 15, 2024, that he does not want to be addressed as a godfather in Kaduna.

Recall that the incumbent governor, Uba Sani, raised an alarm on Sunday, March 31, that the state was heavily indebted. Sani disclosed that his administration inherited a debt of $587 million, N85 billion, and 115 billion contractual liabilities from the previous administration led by El-Rufai, causing a clash between the governor and the Kaduna APC women leader, Maryam Suleiman.