——-Says every time the government reacts sharply to El-Rufai, it elevates his profile and positions him as a central political actor.
Public Affairs Analyst and Secretary, Guild of Public Affairs Analysts of Nigeria, Enugu State Chapter, Dr. Chikezie Obasi, made this known while speaking on a topic “State of the Nation,” on Freedom Square, a programme on Solid FM, 100.9, anchored by Uchenna Cyril Anioke.
Dr. Obasi advised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu not to give former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai the political opportunity he is allegedly seeking, describing his earlier exclusion from the ministerial list as a “grave strategic mistake.”
He argued that sidelining El-Rufai from the federal cabinet not only weakened internal party cohesion but also created room for the outspoken politician to reposition himself as a strong critic of the Tinubu administration.
According to him, “ the most costly mistake Bola Ahmed Tinubu made was to drop El-Rufai as a minister. Haven made that mistake, they are trying to worsen the situation. The truth of the matter is that it was a politically mismanaged situation. El-Rufai has been waiting for this opportunity, so why give him the opportunity? If there was no El-Rufai, I can tell you that formation of ADC would have been difficult. El-Rufai was a person at the regime of president Buhari who told Nigerians that they should go and use the old currency notes even when the president said we should stop using old currency. So why are you joking with such a person? What he knows is more than what other politicians know. So what is El-Rufai actually looking for? Putting El-Rufai behind bars is what El-Rufai wants . Put him behind bars, I can tell you that within one month he is out and that is when he will get the core followership and that is what he wants. It was El-Rufai that kept El-Zazaky. It was El-Rufai that helped move the presidency to the south. For me, it is a case between him and Nuhu Ribadu.”
“By dropping El-Rufai as a minister, the government handed him a platform to play the opposition card. Engaging him now or reacting emotionally to his comments will only give him the relevance and momentum he is aiming for,” Obasi said.
Obasi noted that El-Rufai is a seasoned political strategist who understands how to leverage controversy to stay in national conversations, urging the presidency to remain focused on governance rather than political confrontations.
He concluded that while the decision to drop El-Rufai may have already reshaped the political landscape, the president’s best move now is to avoid actions that could further empower him ahead of future political contests.