2027: El-Rufai betrayed us – Ex-Chief of Staff

A former Chief of Staff to ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, Bashir Sa’idu, has accused his former principal of political betrayal, insisting that he and other political allies were instrumental to Mr El-Rufai’s emergence as governor in 2015 and his re-election in 2019.

Mr Sa’idu’s comments come amid a rift between the former governor and several associates, some of whom have abandoned the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and returned to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The former allies include Mr Sa’idu and Ja’afaru Sani, a former commissioner in Mr El-Rufai’s administration who lost in the ADC governorship primary to Isah Ashiru.

The dispute over the ADC governorship ticket appears to have been a major turning point in their relationship with Mr El-Rufai, as they believed he supported Mr Ashiru over Mr Sani.

Mr Sa’idu made the allegations during an interview with Radio France Internationale (RFI), rejecting suggestions that Mr El-Rufai single-handedly built the political careers of those who later fell out with him.

“Mr El-Rufai is not a politician. When he came to Kaduna in 2014 to contest the governorship, he approached us. We had our political structures, and Suleiman Hunkuyi and I worked tirelessly to ensure his victory in that election,” Mr Sa’idu said.

“We were the reason he succeeded.”

Mr Sa’idu maintained that the political structures he and his associates established helped Mr El-Rufai win the governorship elections in 2015 and 2019.

ADC governorship ticket deepens rift

The disagreement between Mr El-Rufai and his former allies intensified following the ADC governorship primary.

Mr Ashiru secured 86,113 votes, while Mr Sani, a former commissioner for education under Mr El-Rufai, polled 29,580 votes to finish second.

Mr Sani rejected the outcome, alleging irregularities in the exercise.

Mr Sa’idu and his associates reportedly became dissatisfied with what they perceived as Mr El-Rufai’s support for Mr Ashiru, which they interpreted as a departure from their political interests.

The former allies also accused Mr El-Rufai’s family and a small circle of associates of exerting excessive influence over the ADC’s affairs and candidate selection.

In the RFI interview, Mr Sa’idu argued that Mr Sani should have received the ADC governorship ticket, suggesting that the handling of the contest demonstrated that Mr El-Rufai was no longer willing to accommodate his former allies.

Mr Sa’idu also alleged that Mr El-Rufai had surrounded himself with younger associates while sidelining those who helped him secure political power.

“We cannot allow his family to appoint a candidate for us,” he said.

He insisted that the former governor, rather than his erstwhile allies, was responsible for the breakdown in their relationship.

Former allies return to APC

After the disagreement, Mr Sa’idu, Mr Sani, and other politicians previously associated with Mr El-Rufai abandoned the ADC and returned to the APC, aligning with Governor Uba Sani ahead of the 2027 elections.

The defection represents a significant political realignment in Kaduna State, bringing several former officials of Mr El-Rufai’s administration into the camp of his successor.

At a ceremony in Zaria on 17 October, Mr Sa’idu formally joined the APC alongside Mr Sani, former Senator Suleiman Abdu Kwari and other political associates.

Mr Sa’idu claimed that his political group, Kaduna De-Initiatives, had helped build the ADC’s structures across the state but decided to leave after becoming dissatisfied with the party’s leadership and candidate-selection process.

“We built ADC with our strength, sweat and blood, but unfortunately, a few individuals who later joined the party hijacked it,” he said.

“We discovered that the party was being teleguided by a family, a situation which we found unacceptable.”

Mr Sa’idu claimed that more than 200,000 ADC members and supporters had joined the APC through his political group, although the figure has not been independently verified.

The former chief of staff said his return to the APC was not an individual decision but a collective political move involving supporters across Kaduna State.

‘I went to prison before El-Rufai’

Mr Sa’idu also dismissed suggestions that he and other former allies owed their political relevance to Mr El-Rufai, citing his own experience of prolonged detention.

He said he was detained for more than 100 days and spent the Eid-el-Kabir celebration in prison.

“I was the first to go to prison. I was detained for more than 100 days, and I celebrated Eid-el-Kabir there. So, who really suffered for whom?” he asked.

Mr Sa’idu’s reference to his detention adds another dimension to the political dispute, particularly as Mr El-Rufai himself remains in custody amid investigations and court proceedings involving allegations relating to his time in office.

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The allegations against Mr El-Rufai remain subject to judicial determination.

Mr Sa’idu and Mr Sani have since aligned with Governor Uba Sani, whose administration has been at the centre of the political developments surrounding the former governor and his associates.

Hunkuyi urges Uba Sani to keep El-Rufai in custody

The political tensions took a sharper turn when former Kaduna North senator Suleiman Hunkuyi urged Governor Uba Sani to keep Mr El-Rufai in custody until after the 2027 governorship election.

Mr Hunkuyi made the remarks during the Zaria ceremony organised to receive Mr Sa’idu and other former ADC members into the APC.

Addressing the gathering, Mr Hunkuyi made an apparent reference to the departure of Mr El-Rufai’s former associates, questioning who remained in the former governor’s political camp after the defections.

He subsequently turned to Governor Uba Sani and urged him not to release his predecessor until the governor had secured his political future in 2027.

“Please keep him for us. Hold him firmly and do not release him. Keep him securely until you receive your crown in your hands after election, then release him to us,” Mr Hunkuyi said, according to reports of the event.

The remarks have added to the political controversy surrounding Mr El-Rufai’s detention, with the former governor’s political opponents and former associates openly repositioning themselves ahead of the 2027 elections.

Mr El-Rufai governed Kaduna State from 2015 to 2023 before handing over to Mr Uba Sani, his former political ally.

Their relationship subsequently deteriorated, producing a major political split that has reshaped alliances in the state.

The latest defections underscore the growing contest for political influence in Kaduna, where the APC and ADC are positioning for the next governorship election.

A member of the El-Rufai family contacted by PREMIUM TIMES for a response to Mr Sa’idu’s allegation that the family hijacked the ADC in Kaduna declined to comment.

“I don’t want to talk about this,” the family member said.