APC silent on Tinubu’s Chicago scandals; says El-Rufai sulking, traumatised over failed appointment

Mr El-Rufai fell out with Mr Tinubu after he was nominated for a ministerial appointment but was blocked by the Senate.

Ahmed Oluwasanjo • March 17, 2025

Nasir El-Rufai [Photo credit: ICIR]

The All Progressives Congress (APC), on Monday, said Nasir El-Rufai is sulking and traumatised because he was not appointed minister by President Bola Tinubu.

In a statement by its spokesperson, Felix Morka, the APC dismissed Mr El-Rufai’s recent criticisms of Mr Tinubu but ignored his reference to president’s involvement in cocaine trafficking and certificate forgery in Chicago.

“El-Rufai appears traumatised by his failure to land a ministerial position. Nursing a bruised ego, he now lashes out at the platform on which he rode to political prominence,” the statement said. “He should quit sulking, get a grip, and salvage some respectability.”

It added, “Today, El-Rufai stands diminished as the epitome of a self-interested politician, blinded by ego, driven by untamed emotion, and brimming with a vengeful desire to ‘collapse the system.'”

The APC dismissed Mr El-Rufai’s call on opposition figures—Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, Peter Obi of the Labour Party, Rauf Aregbesola, and Rotimi Amaechi—to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to challenge the ruling party, saying the APC is “unfazed by El-Rufai’s grudge-laden tirade.”

“El-Rufai’s call for opposition members to join him under the SDP banner is nothing short of an invitation to drink from a chalice poisoned by selfishness, vengefulness, and delusion of grandeur. Nigerians are far more savvy than El-Rufai thinks, and they know that he is driven by raw self-interest rather than a genuine concern for the country,” the statement said.

The APC listed the achievements of the Tinubu-led government, ignoring Mr El-Rufai’s scathing remarks about Mr Tinubu’s past.

Mr El-Rufai said he supported Mr Tinubu despite knowing his sordid antecedents because he wanted Mr Tinubu to replicate what he did as Lagos governor on a national scale.

Referring to Mr Tinubu’s involvement in cocaine trafficking and certificate forgery scandals, Mr El-Rufai 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.”

The former Kaduna governor fell out with Mr Tinubu after he was nominated for a ministerial appointment but was blocked by the Senate.

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