Tinubu, Associates Are ‘Ingrates’ — Galadima

A chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Buba Galadima, has accused President Bola Tinubu and his associates of being ungrateful to former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, despite what he described as El-Rufai’s contributions to Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 presidential election.

Galadima made the allegation during an interview on the Naija Unfiltered Podcast, where he also claimed that he had warned El-Rufai to consider leaving Nigeria after his relationship with Tinubu deteriorated.

“Tinubu and his people are ingrates as far as El-Rufai is concerned. I’m not the best friend of El-Rufai. In fact, I advised him that he should be careful of the way he carries himself, that he either goes on exile or they will jail him,” Galadima said.

He said he had previously raised concerns about El-Rufai’s situation during interviews with the BBC and Nigerian television stations.

Galadima also claimed that he approached former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, to persuade El-Rufai against returning to Nigeria after learning that the former Kaduna governor planned to return from Egypt.

“I went and met Kwankwaso and told Kwankwaso that he should beg El-Rufai not to come back. These people do not mean well to him,” he said.

According to Galadima, Kwankwaso subsequently contacted El-Rufai, who initially postponed his return before later announcing a new date and returning to Nigeria.

He described El-Rufai’s decision to return as an act of bravery, alleging that the ruling All Progressives Congress was determined to retain power.

“The desperation with which the APC is going, they can do anything under the sun to come back to power, because they know what it entails if they lose power; what they have done to people will visit them,” Galadima said.

Galadima’s comments come amid political tensions involving El-Rufai and the Tinubu administration. His claims about the motives and intentions of Tinubu, APC members and others were not independently established in the remarks.