As Nigeria gets ready for another presidential election in 2027, the race is not just between political parties but also between old friends who have now turned against one another
President Bola Tinubu, who became famous for saying “Emi lo kan” before winning the 2023 election, is now facing strong opposition from people who used to support him.
These include former political allies, protégés and even those who quietly helped build his success.
When Tinubu announced that he wanted to be president ahead of the 2023 elections, many governors, ministers, and former political rivals supported him. Even social media influencers helped sell his ambition to Nigerians.
But just two years into his presidency, some of these people have now turned against him.
They openly criticise his government, his leadership, and his policies.
Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, was one of the northern All Progressives Congress governors who supported the zoning of the presidential ticket to the South, supporting Tinubu’s rise.
El-Rufai often praised Tinubu during the campaigns.
During one of the campaigns, El-Rufai said, “Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is our candidate whom we all supported to get the ticket and we are sure we will not regret it.”
However, this support did not last long.
In March 2025, El-Rufai left the APC for the Social Democratic Party. He said the APC no longer shared his values.
He explained, “As a founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), I have fond memories of working with other compatriots to negotiate the merger of political parties that created the APC. Since 2013, I have hoped that my personal values and those of the APC will continue to align until I choose to retire from politics.
“Developments in the last two years confirm that those who currently control and run the APC do not desire to acknowledge, much less address, the party’s unhealthy situation. I have raised concerns in private and, more recently, in public regarding the party’s capricious trajectory. Therefore, at this point in my political journey, I have come to the conclusion that I must seek another political platform to pursue the progressive values I cherish.”
El-Rufai has become one of Tinubu’s loudest critics.
He has called some of Tinubu’s ministers “clowns” and accused the government of incompetence.
Many believe his anger stems from his failed bid to become a minister and the growing division in the APC.
He even said Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 is impossible.
He claimed anyone who thinks otherwise is not in touch with Nigeria’s reality.
El-Rufai said Nigerians have lost confidence in Tinubu and the APC and will not vote for them in 2027.
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