El-Rufai: I’m Pained We Backed Tinubu Despite His Forgery Scandals

Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has expressed deep regret over supporting President Bola Tinubu, despite being aware of his past controversies, including allegations of certificate forgery and involvement in cocaine trafficking.

In an interview with BBC Hausa, Mr. El-Rufai admitted that he and others backed Tinubu in the IP hope that he would replicate his achievements as governor of Lagos State at the national level.

“What pains me is that the government we supported and had confidence in would do well because we saw what Tinubu did in Lagos despite his challenges,” El-Rufai said in the interview published on Saturday.

Referring to Tinubu’s drug-related case in the United States and the controversy surrounding his academic credentials, El-Rufai acknowledged that the issues were well known but dismissed at the time.

“We all know about his issues in Chicago, but we thought if he could replicate his work in Lagos for Nigeria, let’s support him. However, he failed.”

Mr. Tinubu’s past legal troubles resurfaced after he declared his presidential ambition in 2022.

In that year, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois released documents detailing his encounters with U.S. authorities over narcotics trafficking and money laundering, which led to his forfeiture of $460,000 to the U.S. government in 1993.

Additionally, Tinubu’s academic records from Chicago State University (CSU) became a major topic of controversy when opposition candidate Atiku Abubakar approached the court, demanding the release of official documents to verify Tinubu’s credentials.

Despite these scandals, Tinubu was elected president, but his performance so far has left some of his key allies, including El-Rufai, disappointed.