The 34 members of the Kaduna State House of Assembly accused Nasir El Rufai for abuse of office
His first disappointment was that he expected President Tinubu to choose his running mate from the Northwest, and it would be him. When he was not chosen as the vice presidential contender, he became antagonistic to Tinubu, ensuring Asiwaju’s defeat in the Kaduna State presidential election.
The second disappointment is that, as a consolation prize, he expected to be the minister of Kaduna, but he failed his ministerial screening due to the multiple crimes he perpetrated. He began pointing fingers at the innocent because he refused to accept responsibility for the killings, sorrows, tears, and blood he unleashed during his eight-year despotic stint as Governor of Kaduna, which was reminiscent of Darfur.
The third disappointment was that his political godson outwitted and politically castrated him in Kaduna, to the point where, just a year after leaving office, each of the 34 members of the Kaduna State House of Assembly indicted Nasir el-Rufai for abuse of office, money laundering, and other offenses.
Nasir was unable to maintain the loyalty of even one member. Nonetheless, he claims that in 2027 he would depose Tinubu, who has maintained the loyalty of every member of the forty-person Lagos State House of Assembly.
The fourth disappointment is that he expected Governor Uba Sani to fail without his support, but under Governor Sani, Kaduna is more secure, has increased internally generated revenue, and Muslim and Christian residents are collaborating with one another and the government, as opposed to what occurred under the Butcher of Kaduna.
The fifth source of dissatisfaction is that the numerous Northerners selected by President Tinubu are all performing better and outperforming him in terms of popularity. The sixth source of dissatisfaction is that he expected to be the top opposition figure, but Waziri Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi have surpassed him.
The seventh source of confusion is the Tinubu administration’s economic plans, which are starting to bear fruit. Our GDP increased by 3.84% in 2024, with inflation falling below 25% and unemployment dropping to 4.3%. This has left Nasir el-Rufai with the one recourse: personal attacks against the President and his greatest Northern backers.
His eighth perplexity stems from the fact that his own first son, Bello el-Rufai, has declined to join his father’s political campaign because he does not want to jeopardize his return to the House in 2027. He preferred to openly accept Governor Uba Sani as his principal and advised his father to reconcile with Kaduna’s Chief Executive.
The ninth source of unhappiness is domestic. His first wife, Hadiza el-Rufai, openly revealed to Nigerians on Monday, November 19, 2024, that her son, Bashir el-Rufai, would not have publicly or privately opposed President Tinubu and his administration if the President had given his father a lucrative position.
The tenth shock he experienced was the realization that he is not well-regarded in Northern Nigerian politics, which was made painfully clear in the most significant event in Arewa’s history since President Muhammadu Buhari’s election in 2015: the release of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida’s autobiography on Thursday, February 20, 2025. Nasir el-Rufai was absent that day. The snob hit him like a tonne of bricks.
Malam el-Rufai’s twelfth complaint is that, other from his personal lackeys, no important or credible Northern politician has come out in his support. They’ve all given him the cold shoulder and the OYO treatment: On Your Own.
Finally, his twelfth grouse is that, on Thursday, February 7, 2019, he made a mess of his international reputation by threatening European Union observers with death if they intervened in Nigeria’s impending presidential elections. Nasir el-Rufai is uncomfortable with exile or long-term overseas stay, so he is stuck in Nigeria.
