Farouk Aliyu slams El-Rufai, tags him ‘political opportunist’

Former Minority Leader of the House of Representatives and founding member of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Farouk Aliyu, has openly criticised Malam Nasir El-Rufai, branding him an opportunist who only shows loyalty when it benefits him politically.

Aliyu pointed out that El-Rufai, who was once a strong supporter of President Bola Tinubu during the 2023 elections, has now turned against the same administration he helped bring into power.

The former Governor of Kaduna State has recently been vocal in his criticism of President Tinubu, even going as far as calling him “the worst leader Nigerians have ever had.”

After distancing himself from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), El-Rufai joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP), where he is now leading efforts to form a coalition of opposition parties with the aim of removing President Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.

While El-Rufai garnered support for the SDP and the coalition, many Nigerians opine that his opposition to Tinubu is because he did not get the ministerial appointment he was promised.

Speaking on Arise Television’s ‘The Morning Show’ on Friday, Farouk said El-Rufai’s claim that President Bola Tinubu is the most corrupt is subjective. He added that the ex-governor would have been out insulting northern political leaders and other politicians if Tinubu had appointed him as a minister.

“I want members of the elite to know that it is about us, the elite. When the elite loses out, they start screaming because if Nasir had been made a minister, today he would have been at the forefront of insulting people, but he lost out, and he cannot see it as an act of God.

“The same party that made you a governor for eight years, all of a sudden because you’re out of governance, you start insulting people, bringing divisiveness into this country. This is the same northerner, who said whether northerners like it or not, it must be Tinubu. I want the public to know that political elites in this country are one and the same and most of us are dishonest,” Farouk asserted.

Farouk said he has been one of the pillars of support for former President Muhammadu Buhari from his CPC days, and despite not getting a political appointment from him, he did not stop supporting him throughout his eight years in power.

Summarily, Farouk described El-Rufai as a hypocrite and an opportunist, saying the ex-governor’s opposition to the APC and Tinubu’s government is all about his selfish interest and not Nigerians.