El-Rufai’s Political Influence Is Fading, Coalition Has Collapsed – Presidency

The Presidency has said that former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai no longer holds strong political influence and that the coalition around him has already collapsed.

This was revealed by Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser on Public Communications and Media to President Bola Tinubu, during an interview on Focus Nigeria, an AIT programme.

Bwala dismissed El-Rufai’s recent political moves, saying they lack real impact.

“Even when he started, it was like that — like he dropped Andrew Liver Salt, and then it calmed down. That’s what is happening. Nobody talks about him. Nobody looks for him,” Bwala said.

He added that despite media attention, El-Rufai has no real connection to the grassroots or strong political backing in the north.

“When we talk of the north, there are times there is a misconception. People identify five eggheads and call them the north. Some of them are disconnected from the source,” he said.

According to Bwala, El-Rufai’s political strength started to fade before he even left office. He pointed to the losses the APC suffered in Kaduna during El-Rufai’s second term as governor.

“In the second half of his term, the APC lost three senate seats and a number of House of Representatives seats. The president lost the election there.
“So, people won’t look at those. But political scientists, they look at those things as indices,” he explained.

He also revealed that even those currently involved in opposition coalition talks are encouraging El-Rufai to return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“Even among the people who are talking about coalition now, he said he wants to move somewhere. They say, come back to PDP,” Bwala stated.

Defending President Tinubu’s popularity, Bwala shared how the president was warmly received during a recent visit to Katsina.

“We went to Katsina with the president two weeks ago… from the airport to the city, people lined up,” he said.