Yesterday, I left the office early to ensure I could settle in front of the TV in time for the 8pm ARISE NEWS Prime Time interview, anchored by Charles Aniagolu with former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, as the guest. This was El-Rufai’s first interview with any media platform since stepping down from office in 2023.
Frankly, the interview was well worth it, and El-Rufai delivered as expected. At one point, I even laughed and whispered to someone sitting close to me: “Mallam hasn’t changed one bit; still the master of playing both sides. He was frank during the interview, but at some point slippery as a snake oil salesman, dodging direct questions like a pro. In all, his greviances and source of bitterness were expressed.
For example when asked about his APC status, he could not give a straight answer. Instead, he left the viewers wondering if he was in or out. Such response should be a red flag for politicians romancing with him- El-Rufai might ditch them as he might be waiting to cut a deal with the APC.
My accessment: El-Rufai’s appearance was less of an interview and more of a tragicomic spectacle, a masterclass in how to unravel one’s political legacy in real-time. With the finesse of a man who has long mistaken arrogance for intelligence, El-Rufai delivered a performance that oscillated between self-pity and self-aggrandizement.
It was as if he had taken a page from the playbook of a fading Nollywood villain, complete with dramatic threats and a desperate attempt to rewrite history. But alas, even the most skilled actor cannot mask the cracks in a crumbling façade.
El-Rufai’s choice of words during the interview betrayed the bitterness that has consumed him for almost two years, a storm of frustration brewed by his failure to clinch a role in Tinubu’s administration. His grous, was that he was not keen on taking an appointment again, but the President, publicly pleaded with him to join the crew to help him salvage the power sector, a sector long hijacked by a cabal.
This much is true: Tinubu saw in El-Rufai a firebrand, a maverick with a radical approach to leadership, and believed his touch could reignite the flickering flames in government. But something went wrong along the line, for the greater good, and the rest is history!
Senator Neda Imasuen, representing Edo South Senatorial District, during an interview with some journalists a day after El-Rufai’s name was withdrawn, shed light on the reasons behind the former Kaduna governor’s rejection, citing two critical issues, which were rooted deeply in security reports.
However, he also took a swipe at the presidency’s handling of the vetting process, questioning why thorough background checks were not conducted before the nominees were paraded before the Senate.
El-Rufai was not alone in this political purgatory. Maryam Shettima from Kano, Stella Okotete, Delta State and Senator Abubakar Danladi also found themselves cast aside, their nominations withdrawn for various reasons. Yet, unlike El-Rufai, they bore their disappointments with grace, swallowing the bitter pill till today.
In the interview, El-Rufai admitted that the President had indeed extended an olive branch, urging him to find a way to work with him. But El-Rufai, insisted he had no appetite for public service again.
If that were truly the case, then what is fueling his recent outbursts against the President and the APC, a party he once laboured to build, brick by brick? His call for the opposition to unite and topple the APC was nothing short of political heresy, a betrayal of the very house he helped built. Was this the act of a man scorned, lashing out in wounded pride, or a calculated move to reposition himself in the ever-shifting sands of Nigerian politics?
If El-Rufai were part of the government today, he would undoubtedly be its most vocal cheerleader, singing its praises with the same gusto as any other loyalist.
But alas, fate, or perhaps had other plans. Now, with power already slipped through his fingers at both the federal level and in his home state of Kaduna, El-Rufai seems to be on a mission to claw his way back into the political spotlight. After all, he has made it clear that retirement is not on his agenda anytime soon.
This whole drama feels less like a principled stand and more like a carefully choreographed dance toward 2027. El-Rufai appears to be positioning himself for a comeback, even if it means shaking hands with the devil or throwing a few well-aimed jabs at his former allies.
It is almost poetic: the man who once helped build the APC now seems to be eyeing its walls with a wrecking ball in hand. Whether this is a genuine quest for relevance or just the theatrics of a seasoned political actor, one thing is certain; El-Rufai isn’t fading into the background without a fight. After all, in Nigerian politics, the show must go on, and El-Rufai is determined to stay center stage.
El-Rufai, seemingly unable to transcend his lingering discontent, referred to President Bola Tinubu and certain members of his administration as “Area Boys.” This moment, laden with irony, starkly revealed El-Rufai’s evident frustration over his exclusion from the current government.
It is a sad narrative for a former governor, with his extensive educational background and years of public service, to resort to such undignified language when addressing the President of Africa’s most populous and influential nation.
This choice of words is not only unbecoming of someone of his stature but also undermines the decorum expected of a statesman. Such remarks reflect poorly on the individual and detract from the respect owed to the highest office in the land. It is indeed regrettable and a departure from the standards of political discourse befitting a nation of Nigeria’s standing.
El-Rufai perceives himself as being at odds with a growing number of individuals. He has a axe to grind with Uba Sani in the 2027, while he accused his estranged friend, Nuhu Ribadu, of working with Sani to destroy his reputation. Everything boils down to his frustration over holding on to nothing but neglect by the very people and system he once manipulated.
El-Rufai claims there is palpable anger in the North, though he conveniently left out the why behind this supposed fury. Perhaps he has been too busy nursing his own sour grapes to notice that the happiness in Kaduna since his departure is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the collective feelings in the North.
El-Rufai doesn’t speak for the North, he is merely trying to paint the entire region with the same brush of his personal grievances. After all, misery loves company, but the North is not buying what he is selling.
His attempt to spin his own frustration into a regional crisis is nothing more than a classic case of crying over spilled milk while the rest of the people are busy mopping up the mess he left behind.
His crocodile tears over the state of the APC and its abandonment of founding values were equally rich, coming from someone who has done more than most to undermine those very values.
How were these values he talks about today held when he held away in Kaduna for eight years? Shehu Sani and many others who were chased out of the party are still alive to tell their stories.
El-Rufai’s lack of political prudence and discernment has validated the earlier concerns that prompted the President to reconsider his nomination for a ministerial position, ultimately leading to his exclusion from the cabinet.
Known for his unyielding and independent demeanor, he appears to be a figure who cannot be tamed. This explains his recent inflammatory remarks and apparent defiance toward his party and President Tinubu, actions that have only further isolated him from the political mainstream.
The truth is simple: El-Rufai’s brand of politics is inherently transactional, and when the transactions no longer serve his interests, the friendships dissolve. His threat to prove his relevance in Kaduna State is equally hollow. The man who once boasted of his ability to “fix” political opponents now finds himself on the receiving end of the same treatment.
El-Rufai’s support for Tinubu in the 2023 elections was less about loyalty and more about self-preservation. His admission that he was “indifferent” about who became president until Tinubu emerged as the APC flag bearer is a damning indictment of his lack of principles.
In the final analysis, El-Rufai’s interview was a tragicomedy of errors, a performance that laid bare the contradictions and hypocrisies of a man who has long since lost his way.
His attempts to position himself as a victim of political machinations are as laughable as they are pathetic. The truth is simple: El-Rufai is a man out of time, a relic of a bygone era in Nigerian politics. His threats, his insults, and his delusions of grandeur are the last gasps of a drowning man, desperately clinging to the wreckage of his political career.
But as the tides of Nigerian politics continue to shift, one thing is clear: Nasir El-Rufai is no longer the kingmaker he once fancied himself to be.
So, is El-Rufai holding on for a better deal? Perhaps. But in a political marketplace where his currency is devalued and his brand is tarnished, one has to wonder: who is still buying? I doubt if the APC nor Tinubu is ready to bargain. So, in the end, the joke is on him as sour loser and the deal he is waiting for may never come.