Former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai has said he was never friends with President Bola Tinubu, insisting that his support for the President during the 2023 elections was purely political.

Speaking in an interview with Trust TV on Monday, El-Rufai said it was incorrect to assume that he once had a close personal relationship with the president. He added that his support during the last election was based on party arrangement.

“I was never Tinubu’s friend. We never had a personal relationship like the one I had with General Buhari,” El-Rufai said.

“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 said that once Tinubu became the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, he fully committed himself to securing the party’s victory, in line with his principles.

His words: “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 noted, however, that his differences with Tinubu became apparent after the election, attributing them to divergent views on governance and public service.

“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.

El-Rufai also dismissed concerns that opposition governors defecting to the ruling party could weaken resistance ahead of the 2027 elections.

“As the governor of Kaduna State… Tinubu lost. He didn’t win Kaduna. We lost three Senate seats,” he said, citing his own experience to argue that incumbency does not guarantee electoral outcomes. “The governor has only one vote.”

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