Ndume Mocks El-Rufai Over Tinubu Fallout, Warns He May Dump APC

Borno South Senator, Ali Ndume, has taken a swipe at former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over his recent political troubles with President Bola Tinubu — suggesting El-Rufai is now facing the consequences of betraying former Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi.

Ndume, who served as Director-General of Amaechi’s presidential campaign, made the remarks during an interview on Arise News on Tuesday.

According to him, El-Rufai abandoned Amaechi after initially pledging support during the APC presidential primaries, only to later align with Tinubu. “He was on our side — Amaechi’s side. Before Tinubu was nominated, he made up his mind to support Tinubu,” Ndume said. “Sometimes, I say, ‘Okay o, you did that to us, it’s payback to yourself.’”

He also recalled how El-Rufai’s ministerial confirmation was nearly smooth-sailed before being rejected, a move Ndume appeared to regard as political karma.

Now a member of the opposition Social Democratic Party, El-Rufai has become a vocal critic of Tinubu after being denied a place in his cabinet.

Ndume didn’t hold back criticism of the current administration either, expressing deep concerns over Tinubu’s leadership. He warned that if the president fails to address Nigeria’s pressing challenges, he might consider leaving the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“If I decide to leave the APC, I will not hide it,” he declared. “I still believe President Tinubu can fix things. Failure to fix those things may cause me to leave the APC.”

He further cautioned against the unrestrained influx of defectors into the APC, warning it could lead to the party’s collapse.

“If Tinubu continues this way, it doesn’t matter if he loads more people or governors — you are just endangering the APC. When you overload a ship, it might capsize.”

Ndume had also recently accused some of Tinubu’s aides of misleading the president and damaging his public image. He claimed the government has been hijacked by “kleptocrats” and “kakistocrats.”