Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has criticized President Bola Tinubu’s governance style, warning that it could lead Nigeria towards authoritarian rule similar to that of Cameroon’s Paul Biya.
El-Rufai made the comments on Saturday when former Vice President Atiku Abubakar visited him in Kaduna.
He accused the Tinubu-led government of undermining democracy and concentrating power at the center.
“Honestly sir, to me, it is even a disgrace. I mean, for people to behave the way they are behaving, it means that all the years of saying that we are for democracy and NADECO, all the claims that we are fighting for true federalism and so on—it was all a pretence, all fake again. Because this government (Tinubu’s administration) is trying to centralize everything instead of devolving power to the lower levels,” El-Rufai said.
He warned that Nigeria risked nosediving into a sit-tight presidency if citizens failed to unite and vote out Tinubu in 2027.
“The sum total of this is that we are facing an evil of such a large proportion in the history of this country that if we don’t come together and end this Tinubu administration by 2027, Tinubu will try to be our Paul Biya. All the signs are there, this is how Paul Biya started,” he warned.
El-Rufai praised Atiku’s democratic credentials and emphasized the need for opposition leaders to rally together to save the country.
He commended Atiku’s experience in democratic governance and his call for unity among opposition leaders.
Atiku responded by lauding El-Rufai’s stance and emphasizing the need for opposition unity to confront the current situation and ensure a change in government through the ballot box in 2027.