Eric Patrick
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has openly expressed regret over his role in bringing President Bola Tinubu to office, accusing the current administration of misgovernance and a deliberate effort to sabotage opposition parties.
In an interview with Arise TV on Monday, El-Rufai revealed that the decision by opposition figures to form a new political party ahead of the 2027 elections was driven by fears of infiltration and destabilisation by government-backed actors.
“What this government has done is to inject viruses into opposition parties — funding factions and sponsoring crises in the PDP, Labour Party, and NNPP,” he said. “Many of our leaders said the only way to avoid that is to start afresh.”
The former governor said the newly proposed party, named the All Democratic Alliance (ADA), was formed after three separate groups within the opposition agreed to merge their registration efforts under a single banner.
According to El-Rufai, registration documents have already been submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), although he suspects the federal government may attempt to block the process.
“We suspect the government will do everything to block the registration of the party. But by law, if INEC does not write back within a certain period, the party is deemed registered.
El-Rufai also clarified his recent alignment with the Social Democratic Party (SDP), describing it as a temporary step until a collective decision is made within the opposition coalition.
“When I joined the SDP, I said I was there pending the decision of the larger coalition.
"Atiku is still in the PDP. Peter Obi hasn’t left the Labour Party. We’ll all leave our parties when we reach a consensus,” he explained.
While acknowledging the SDP’s historic significance, he stressed that Nigeria’s current reality demands unity above party loyalty.
“The SDP has emotional value and a good legacy. But this is not about personal views. It is about Nigerians. And Nigerians are tired of the APC,” he stated.
Taking a swipe at President Tinubu, El-Rufai did not mince words in assessing the administration’s performance.
“I contributed to bringing Bola Tinubu into office, and I regret it. I want to contribute to removing this administration before it destroys Nigeria,” he said.
He claimed Tinubu’s approval ratings had collapsed nationwide, saying, “In the Southeast and parts of the North, Tinubu has a 91 percent disapproval rating. Even in Lagos, it is 78 percent. The guy is gone.”
El-Rufai also alleged that the federal government was mismanaging resources and falsely claiming credit for projects executed by state governments.
Responding to claims that his opposition stems from his failed ministerial nomination, El-Rufai said, “Perhaps. But I don’t care. Every morning I wake up and thank God I’m not part of this government.
They are inflicting pain on the people.”
He described Tinubu’s cabinet as bloated and ineffective, “This is the largest cabinet in Nigeria’s history.
"Maybe five ministers are actually working. The rest don’t know what they’re doing.”
El-Rufai condemned the current political elite as “urban bandits” responsible for the nation’s decline and urged opposition leaders to unite and “rescue Nigeria from further destruction.”
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