Kaduna, El-Rufai

Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has cautioned that Nigeria risks sliding into authoritarianism if President Bola Tinubu is not voted out in 2027.

Speaking during a solidarity visit from former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Friday, El-Rufai alleged that Tinubu’s administration is centralising power, suppressing dissent, and showing signs of entrenching itself in power permanently.

Advertisement

He likened the situation to that of Cameroon’s long-ruling leader Paul Biya, warning: “If we don’t unite to end this Tinubu administration in 2027, he will try to be president for life. All the signs are there.”

El-Rufai, now a key figure in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), also condemned the attack he suffered at the party’s Kaduna inauguration, which he claimed was orchestrated by APC-backed thugs.

He described the Tinubu government as “worse than any military regime Nigeria has endured,” insisting that opposition leaders must rally together to protect democracy.

Advertisement