Kaduna, Nigeria – Bashir El-Rufai, the son of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, has made critical remarks about President Bola Tinubu’s administration, claiming no institution, either local or international, can prevent the government from being voted out of office.
In a series of tweets on Wednesday, Bashir argued that even with the backing of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, the Nigerian populace would vote against President Tinubu at the end of his first term.
“Nobody is too big to be elected out of office by the people. It will happen & wallahi nothing will happen. So forget all these intimidations flying up and down. Let us be patient,” Bashir tweeted. He further added, “Even IMF & World Bank no go save una that time. Political strategist una. That one na for Lagos.”
Bashir hinted at a sense of guilt among the President’s supporters, stating, “I didn’t call names o, but due to their guilt, they already know who is being spoken about. Wallahi, none of you will force anyone to support this utter failure of governance disguised as useless, dangerous ethnocentric political strategy.”
Rift Between Nasir El-Rufai and President Tinubu
Nasir El-Rufai, Bashir’s father, was a prominent supporter of President Tinubu during the 2023 general election. However, their relationship soured when El-Rufai was excluded from the ministerial list.
Financial Strain in Kaduna
Adding to the controversy, Uba Sani, the current Governor of Kaduna State and El-Rufai’s successor, expressed concerns over the massive debts inherited from the former governor. At a Town Hall Meeting in March, Sani disclosed that the state was left with insufficient funds to cover salaries.
He detailed the debt situation, revealing that the state inherited a total of $587 million, N85 billion, and 115 contract liabilities from Nasir El-Rufai’s administration. Despite these challenges, Governor Sani noted that he had not borrowed any money in the last nine months, but the debt burden was significantly affecting the state’s federal allocation.
Due to the increase in the exchange rate, Sani mentioned that he was repaying nearly triple the amount borrowed by El-Rufai’s administration, further straining the state’s finances.