CCGG: El-Rufai’s attacks on Tinubu stem from cabinet exclusion

The Citizens Collective for Good Governance (CCGG) has dismissed recent criticisms of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, attributing them to frustration over his exclusion from the federal cabinet.

In a statement released on Tuesday and signed by its President, Dr. Gambo Abdulkadri, the group described El-Rufai’s remarks as “vindictive outbursts” by a “bitter politician nursing a bruised ego” after being denied a ministerial role.

El-Rufai, who served as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory under former President Olusegun Obasanjo and completed two terms as governor of Kaduna State, recently claimed President Tinubu would need a “miracle” to win re-election in 2027.

He also cited a supposed 91 percent disapproval rating for the president—figures the CCGG labeled as “fabricated and delusional.”

“Nasir El-Rufai’s sudden hostility toward President Tinubu exposes his self-serving motives,” Abdulkadri stated. “His support was never about national interest or good governance, but personal ambition. Once denied a place in the cabinet, he turned against the very administration he once backed.”

The group defended President Tinubu’s leadership, highlighting key reforms and policy actions over the past year, including the removal of the fuel subsidy, efforts to revamp the fiscal framework, and initiatives aimed at food security, job creation, and infrastructure development.

“From the student loan scheme to the Renewed Hope agricultural mechanisation initiative and foreign investment mobilization, the president has focused on sustainable progress rather than populism,” the statement said.

The CCGG maintained that President Tinubu is taking bold, strategic decisions to stabilize and grow the nation, and urged Nigerians to support his reform agenda.