Bashir El-Rufai, the son of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, has openly expressed a change of view about Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the last election.
Mr. Bashir, who was previously critical of Obi, attributed his earlier negative views to influences within his former party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).
This comes amid rumors of a potential political alliance between Nasir El-Rufai and Peter Obi ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Bashir in a tweet on Monday declared, “Peter Obi is surprisingly not a bad person after all. My views on him have changed recently. My mind was poisoned by my former party members.”
Meanwhile, this abrupt change in perspective coincides with the political developments involving his father, Nasir El-Rufai, who announced his resignation from the APC and subsequent move to the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
The former Kaduna governor cited a growing disconnect between his personal values and the current direction of the APC as the primary reason for his defection.
“Developments in the last two years confirm that those who currently control and run the APC do not desire to acknowledge, much less address, the party’s unhealthy situation,” Nasir El-Rufai said in a statement on Monday.
He explained that after consulting with mentors, colleagues, and loyalists, he decided to join the SDP in preparation for the 2027 general elections.
As a member of the SDP, Nasir El-Rufai plans to focus on uniting opposition leaders and parties under a unified democratic platform to challenge the APC in the upcoming elections.
His departure from the APC follows recent criticisms of the party’s leadership, including their failure to convene key meetings of the National Executive Council (NEC) and Board of Trustees (BoT) throughout 2023.
El-Rufai’s political moves have also garnered attention following his recent meetings with former Minister of Interior Rauf Aregbesola and Pastor Tunde Bakare in Lagos, leading to speculation about his political ambitions for 2027.
However, these developments signal a potential realignment of political forces in Nigeria as the country approaches the next election cycle.