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Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has revealed that he and other politicians backed President Bola Tinubu in the 2023 election despite being aware of the controversy surrounding his Chicago State University academic records.
In an interview with BBC, El-Rufai stated that their support was based on the belief that Tinubu would replicate his developmental strides as Lagos State governor.
“We knew about his Chicago records, but we said if he could do for Nigeria what he did for Lagos, we would support him,” he said.
However, after falling out with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), El-Rufai officially defected to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) on March 10, 2025. Since then, he has been working to build alliances, recently meeting with Pastor Tunde Bakare and former Minister Rauf Aregbesola.
He has also invited former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s Peter Obi to join the SDP in a bid to challenge APC in 2027.
Amid speculation that he plans to run for president, El-Rufai clarified that the decision rests with the party and the people.
“It is not for me to decide; it is the party and the people that will determine that,” he stated.
