Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has expressed disappointment in President Bola Tinubu’s administration, stating that he and his allies had hoped Tinubu would replicate his Lagos achievements on a national scale but had “failed woefully.”

Speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa on Saturday, El-Rufai revealed that despite concerns over Tinubu’s alleged certificate forgery from Chicago State University during the 2023 presidential election, they supported him, believing he could transform Nigeria.

“What pains me is that the government we supported and had confidence in would do well, because we saw what Tinubu did in Lagos despite his challenges,” he said. “We all know about his issues in Chicago, but we thought if he could replicate his work in Lagos for Nigeria, let’s support him. However, he failed.”

El-Rufai also urged opposition figures—including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, and Rauf Aregbesola—to unite under the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to “rescue the country.”

“What I want and pray for is for all opposition leaders—Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, and Rauf Aregbesola—to join the SDP,” he stated.

Addressing allegations that he betrayed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, El-Rufai insisted that their past disagreements were based on principle rather than personal animosity.

“I never betrayed Atiku Abubakar because we didn’t meet in politics; we met at work. If I see that he didn’t do well, I will tell him—just as I told Buhari and even took him to court on the naira redesign issue,” he explained.

He added that during the Obasanjo administration, he sided with the former president in his rift with Atiku because he believed Obasanjo was right. “It was not about north and south; Obasanjo was right. Atiku and I are now together, and if I betrayed him, why are we together now?” he asked.