Borno South Senator, Ali Ndume, has taken a swipe at former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, blaming his current political troubles on his decision to abandon former minister Rotimi Amaechi during the APC presidential primaries
Speaking on Arise News on Tuesday, Ndume, who served as Director-General of Amaechi’s presidential campaign, said El-Rufai had once pledged support for Amaechi but later switched allegiance to President Bola Tinubu — a move he suggested is now haunting him.
“El-Rufai was supposed to be on our side but somehow, he moved over. I think these are part of the things that are annoying or frustrating him,” Ndume said.
He recalled that El-Rufai had been advised by Tinubu to remain within the government fold but was later rejected during the Senate’s ministerial screening process — a moment Ndume described as “payback.”
“But sometimes, I’ll say, ‘okay o, you did that to us, it’s payback to yourself’,” he added.
El-Rufai, who has since joined the opposition Social Democratic Party, has become an outspoken critic of Tinubu’s administration.
Ndume also used the interview to criticise the president’s style of governance, warning that unresolved national issues could force him to leave the ruling All Progressives Congress.
“If I decide to leave the APC, I will not hide it,” he said. “I still believe President Tinubu can fix things. Failure to fix those things may cause me to leave the APC.”
He cautioned against unchecked political defections into the APC, saying the party is at risk of collapse if overwhelmed by competing interests.
“When you overload a ship, it might lead to the capsizing of the party,” Ndume warned.
He had earlier accused some of Tinubu’s aides of deceiving the president and damaging his reputation, claiming the government has been hijacked by “kleptocrats” and “kakistocrats.”
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