2027 Presidency: El-Rufai accused of plotting to destabilise Tinubu’s government

The Middle-Belt Patriotic Congress (MBPC) has raised concerns about an alleged plan orchestrated by the former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, to influence the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for financial support in his pursuit of the presidency.

The group, disclosing this information during a press conference in Abuja on Sunday, December 17, asserted that El-Rufai is currently securing the backing of influential figures in the northern region as part of his strategy to undermine the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

Garuba Jacob, the group's convener, highlighted that Bello Mohammed El-Rufai, the House Committee on Banking Regulations Chairman, is implicated in the overarching plan to use CBN manipulation to fund Nasir El-Rufai's presidential aspirations.

The statement said: "We have noted that el-Rufai, being who he is, has perfected the funding plan for his questionable enterprise, which he is hiding under his venture capital/private equity firm, Afri-Venture Capital Company Limited, will begin operations in 2024, with $100 million, that is more than N100 billion that he is deploying for inducing the youth, mostly Muslim youths as part of a plot for further disenfranchise the Christian population.

"We understand that the youths are being mobilized under the guise of grooming them for enterprise, but they will be later corralled into being willing tools for protests that will ground the country at el-Rufai’s behest."

El-Rufai's link with CBN explained

The organization asserted that the junior el-Rufai's position is essentially a means for his father to maintain a tight grip on Nigeria's resources by exerting undue influence over the Central Bank.

They claimed that this influence adversely affects the economy, raising concerns about the consequences when he forcefully pursues his ambition to secure the presidency in the 2027 elections.

Consequently, the group called on northern leaders, including former President Muhammadu Buhari and General Ibrahim Babangida, to exercise caution in engaging with el-Rufai to safeguard Nigeria's stability.