By Gwurld4026 
El-Rufai: Our Support for Tinubu Despite Chicago Concerns
In a recent interview with the BBC Hausa Service, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai disclosed that he and other political leaders were aware of President Bola Tinubu’s controversies surrounding his academic records from Chicago State University prior to the 2023 presidential election.
Despite these concerns, they chose to support Tinubu, believing he would replicate his developmental achievements from Lagos at the national level.
El-Rufai expressed his disappointment, stating that their expectations have not been met. He remarked, “What pains me is that the government we supported and had confidence in would do well because we saw what Tinubu did in Lagos despite his challenges.
We all knew about his issues in Chicago, but we thought if he could replicate his work in Lagos for Nigeria, let’s support him. However, he failed.”
Following his departure from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) on March 10, 2025, El-Rufai has been actively seeking to unify opposition figures.
He has called on leaders such as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s Peter Obi, former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, and ex-Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola to join forces under the SDP to challenge the current administration.
Regarding speculations about his potential presidential ambitions for the 2027 elections, El-Rufai clarified that the decision rests with the party and the electorate. He stated, “It is not for me to decide; it is the party and the people that will decide.
Even when I was contesting for governor, it was people that met and convinced (Muhammadu) Buhari, and he called me and asked me to contest.”