Tinubu’s Allies Blast Back: El-Rufai Can’t Lecture Us on Good Governance

Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has come under scathing criticism from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) following his recent denunciation of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration. Speaking at a political event in Sokoto over the weekend, El-Rufai described the current government as “incompetent,” “clannish,” and undeserving of a second term.

In a strongly worded response issued in Abuja, APC officials dismissed El-Rufai’s remarks as the embittered tirade of a politician grappling with political irrelevance after failing to secure a federal appointment. According to political observers, the APC accused the former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister of hypocrisy, claiming he represents the very leadership shortcomings he now criticizes.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, described El-Rufai and his political allies as “rudderless opportunists” with no credible alternative policies. He criticized their continued attacks on the APC and President Tinubu as nothing more than media stunts driven by ego and personal ambition.

The party noted that all major 2023 presidential candidates—including Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi—advocated for reforms like fuel subsidy removal and exchange rate unification. According to the statement, President Tinubu implemented these reforms promptly upon assuming office, while his opponents now condemn the very policies they once championed.

Commenting on El-Rufai’s alleged inconsistency, APC leaders challenged him to offer practical policy alternatives. “If they oppose current reforms so vehemently, why haven’t they proposed a roadmap to reinstate fuel subsidy or revive the flawed multiple exchange rate system that enriched elites for decades?” the statement queried.

The ruling party also rejected allegations of clannishness within the administration, suggesting that El-Rufai’s accusations were rooted in personal disappointment rather than national interest. The statement emphasized Tinubu’s inclusive leadership style, calling him “one of the most detribalized leaders in Nigeria’s history.”

In a pointed rebuttal, APC highlighted El-Rufai’s own controversial legacy in Kaduna State, accusing him of marginalizing minority groups, inciting sectarian violence, and burdening the state with a debt of ₦284 billion, according to data from the Debt Management Office (DMO). Party officials labeled him the “poster child of bad governance and failed leadership.”

The APC further claimed that El-Rufai, alongside former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and other allies now aligned with the African Democratic Congress (ADC), is attempting to destabilize national unity by undermining the principle of power rotation.

Party leaders warned that these efforts mirror the actions that led to the collapse of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023, accusing Atiku and El-Rufai of plotting to replicate that scenario on a national scale through ADC.

Despite the criticism, APC reaffirmed its confidence in President Tinubu’s leadership, describing his administration as visionary and transformational. The party pointed to achievements such as increased oil production, revived agricultural investments, infrastructural expansion, improved stock market performance, and declining inflation as evidence of national progress.

“The Renewed Hope Agenda has repositioned Nigeria for sustainable growth,” the statement concluded, expressing optimism that the Nigerian electorate will renew President Tinubu’s mandate in 2027 to consolidate what it described as “one of the most outstanding first-term records in the country’s democratic history.”