El-Rufai Declares Tinubu’s 2027 Re-Election Impossible, Slams APC and Defectors
Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has declared that President Bola Tinubu has no realistic chance of winning re-election in 2027, insisting that anyone who believes otherwise is “living in another country.” In a bold statement shared via his verified X (formerly Twitter) account, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) chieftain said the Nigerian people have lost confidence in the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the presidency, citing growing dissatisfaction with the government’s policies. “Anybody that thinks it is possible for President Bola Tinubu to get re-elected is living in another country, not Nigeria. It is impossible for Bola Tinubu to get re-elected,” El-Rufai said during the interview. He further argued that even the weakest opposition candidate would defeat the president in a head-to-head contest due to mounting public frustration and economic hardship. “I don’t see a pathway for him,” he added. The former FCT Minister dismissed the ongoing wave of defections to the APC as politically motivated, saying many of those joining the ruling party are either “greedy” or fearful of prosecution by anti-corruption agencies. “It is greedy and hungry politicians and those that are looking for money, contract, appointment, office that are defecting,” he stated. “The other class of those defecting are those that know that the EFCC or ICPC can intimidate them, because they know what they have done if they have done what is not quite right.” El-Rufai, a former Tinubu ally during the 2023 elections, has since defected to the SDP and is now building an opposition coalition ahead of 2027. He revealed that the alliance includes prominent figures like former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. According to him, the real contest in the next general election will not be between political parties but between the APC and ordinary Nigerians. “The ruling party’s popularity has faded across the country,” El-Rufai declared. The former governor’s remarks have further intensified speculation about cracks within the APC and the likelihood of a formidable opposition emerging ahead of the next presidential election.