By Milcah Tanimu
Former kaduna state governor mallam nasir el-rufai hosted rabiu musa kwankwaso, the new nigerian people’s party (nnpp) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, at his abuja residence on thursday. This meeting follows el-rufai’s recent visit to former president muhammadu buhari in daura, katsina state, and has intensified speculation about his political alignments ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
El-rufai’s actions have fueled rumours that he may be aligning with opposition parties. The suspicions were further heightened by his march visit to the national chairman of the social democratic party (sdp) in abuja.
The former governor, a prominent figure in the all progressives congress (apc), was initially nominated for a ministerial position by president bola tinubu. However, his appointment was unexpectedly withdrawn during the final stages of the screening process.
El-rufai has not shied away from criticizing the current administration. On april 15, he publicly stated that the bola tinubu-led federal government was spending more on petrol subsidies than previous administrations. “the federal government is now subsidizing fuel; many people don’t know this,” he stated.
In reaction to el-rufai’s visit to buhari, shehu sani, a former senator who represented kaduna central in the 8th national assembly, suggested that the meeting was part of a broader strategy by some northern politicians to challenge president tinubu in the next election.
