‘We Didn’t Betray El-Rufai’ — Former Allies Break Silence Over Kaduna Political Realignment

Former political associates and grassroots allies of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai have rejected claims that they betrayed him by leaving his political camp, insisting instead that the former governor was the one who abandoned the political understanding that previously bound them together. The group, operating under the Kaduna De-Initiative platform, said its members were exercising their right to determine their political future.

The position was contained in a statement signed by former Deputy Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Mukthar Isa Hazo, and former Kaduna State Social Democratic Party chairman and four-time House of Assembly member for Ungwan Sanusi Constituency, Nasiru Abdullahi Maikano. The group said its members had supported El-Rufai, campaigned for him, defended his administration and helped establish political structures across Kaduna State.

Among those identified with the political realignment are former commissioners Ja’afaru Sani, Shehu Usman Makarfi and Bashir Saidu, as well as former commissioner and senator Abdu Kwari. The group also referenced several other politicians who had served in, supported or previously been associated with El-Rufai’s political structure.

The former allies said their relationship with El-Rufai began to deteriorate after his re-election as governor in 2019. According to them, some political associates increasingly felt excluded from decision-making, while they perceived growing influence by members of the former governor’s family and a weakening of the broader political structure that had supported his administration.

They stressed, however, that their complaint was not simply about El-Rufai working with family members or trusted associates. Rather, they argued that the wider political coalition that had helped sustain his administration was gradually losing its relevance, creating disagreements that eventually became more pronounced after he left office.

A major point of disagreement, according to the group, emerged during political manoeuvring ahead of the 2027 elections and the African Democratic Congress governorship primary in Kaduna. The former associates said Ja’afaru Sani was regarded within their political camp as a preferred successor, but alleged that El-Rufai instead backed Isa Ashiru, who subsequently won the ADC primary.

Ashiru reportedly secured 86,113 votes in the primary against Sani’s 29,580 votes. Sani rejected the outcome and alleged irregularities in the process. Those claims are separate from the former allies’ broader political disagreement with El-Rufai and have not been established as facts by the courts in the reports reviewed.

The group strongly rejected the characterisation of its members as disgruntled politicians seeking renewed relevance. It said its members had contested elections, won and lost political contests, mobilised communities and developed relationships across Kaduna’s 23 local government areas, arguing that such political experience gave them an independent stake in determining their next political direction.

The development comes shortly after El-Rufai publicly reflected on the silence of some former associates during his current difficulties. In a statement published in September, the former governor said people he had previously supported were free to make their own choices, adding that adversity had changed how he viewed some relationships. He said he did not seek revenge against those who chose not to stand with him.

The Kaduna De-Initiative said its decision to realign was not driven by hatred or revenge. The group said it had accepted Governor Uba Sani’s reconciliation initiative and returned to the All Progressives Congress, with its political structures and grassroots networks expected to support a new direction centred on issues including security, education, infrastructure, employment, economic opportunities and peaceful coexistence. The former allies maintained that political loyalty does not remove their right to make independent political choices.