Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has asserted that President Bola Tinubu’s administration represents a greater threat to democratic governance than any previous military regime in Nigeria.
While hosting former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar at his residence over the weekend, El-Rufai condemned the Tinubu administration, labeling it “a disgrace to the very principles of democracy.” Atiku had visited to express solidarity with El-Rufai following an attack during the inauguration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Kaduna State. Thugs reportedly stormed the venue and disrupted the proceedings, with El-Rufai and the Kaduna State government trading accusations over responsibility.
Following the incident, police summoned El-Rufai and several ADC chieftains for questioning. During Atiku’s visit, El-Rufai accused the Tinubu administration of drifting toward authoritarianism and compared the president to Cameroon’s Paul Biya, who has held power since 1982. He alleged that Tinubu was centralizing authority at the expense of federalism, a move he described as a direct threat to Nigeria’s democratic foundation.
“Honestly sir, to me, it is even a disgrace. I mean, for people to behave the way they are behaving, it means that all the years of saying that we are for democracy and NADECO, all the claims that we are fighting for true federalism and so on—it was all a pretense, all fake again. Because this government (Tinubu’s administration) is trying to centralize everything instead of devolving power to the lower levels,” El-Rufai said.
He further warned: “The sum total of this is that we are facing an evil of such a large proportion in the history of this country that if we don’t come together and end this Tinubu administration by 2027, Tinubu will try to be our Paul Biya. All the signs are there, this is how Paul Biya started.” El-Rufai added that under Obasanjo and Atiku, dissenting voices were never harassed, arguing that Tinubu’s civilian administration is worse than past military regimes.
In his response, Atiku Abubakar praised El-Rufai’s courage and called on opposition leaders to remain united and resolute in their efforts to remove President Tinubu democratically in 2027. He emphasized that only through collective action and steadfastness could Nigerians achieve lasting change and defend democracy.
