Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai has clarified the reasons behind his reported differences with President Bola Tinubu, saying the disagreement was never personal.
Speaking in an interview with Trust TV, El-Rufai said he and Tinubu never had a close personal relationship.
“I was never Tinubu’s friend. We never had a personal relationship like the one I had with General Buhari,” El-Rufai said.
He said his initial support for Tinubu was driven by principle rather than personal affinity.
“I was approached by certain Islamic stakeholders from the southwest to support the emergence of a southwest Muslim presidential candidate.
“That is how the discussions started. As governor of Kaduna and one of the founders of APC, I knew there was an understanding that after 8 years of Buhari, power would return to the south. It wasn’t about Tinubu; he was merely an accidental beneficiary,” he stated.
El-Rufai stressed that his commitment was to party unity once Tinubu won the APC primaries.
“It is a principle of mine to fight for the candidate of my party in every election, whether I like the candidate or not.
“The fact that he emerged as the party’s candidate meant I would give everything to ensure he won,” he said.
The former governor further said that his differences with Tinubu were rooted in governance philosophy.
“We didn’t fall out; we didn’t find areas of agreement. I am in government to serve the public and deliver results not to enrich myself or appoint cronies.
“The philosophy of this government is contrary to everything I’ve been taught as a Muslim, a northerner, and a Nigerian. They came to govern the cake, to enrich themselves. We are different people parallel lines that will never meet,” El-Rufai said.
He also pointed that even if he had accepted Tinubu’s publicly offered ministerial position, he would have left the government due to those fundamental differences in philosophy.
