The Citizens Collective for Good Governance (CCGG) has described recent comments made by former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a product of bitterness and frustration over his exclusion from the federal cabinet.
In a strongly worded statement on Tuesday, signed by its president, Dr Gambo Abdulkadri, the group accused El-Rufai of launching “a desperate and vindictive campaign” against President Tinubu, following his failure to secure a ministerial appointment.
El-Rufai, who served as minister of the Federal Capital Territory during the Obasanjo administration and later governor of Kaduna State for eight years, recently claimed that President Tinubu would require a “miracle” to win re-election in 2027.
Speaking on Arise Television, he also cited polling figures suggesting a 91 percent disapproval rating for the president — a claim the CCGG dismissed as “fabricated and delusional.”
“The public outburst by Mallam Nasir El-Rufai is nothing but the cry of a political actor whose ego was bruised when President Tinubu, in his wisdom, declined to reward him with a ministerial position,” Abdulkadri said.
“For someone who claims to have supported the president’s emergence, El-Rufai’s sudden antagonism only confirms that his loyalty was never to the country, nor to good governance, but to his own ambition.”
The group said President Tinubu has demonstrated remarkable leadership in the face of monumental challenges, citing reforms in the oil and gas sector, decisive anti-corruption efforts, and aggressive pursuit of food security and job creation as examples of “clear-headed governance.”
“Within just over a year, President Tinubu has taken bold and necessary decisions to reset Nigeria’s economy — from ending fuel subsidy fraud to restructuring our fiscal regime,” the statement continued.
“The Renewed Hope agricultural mechanisation programme, student loan scheme, foreign investment drive, and infrastructure renewal across the country are evidence of a leader working for posterity, not popularity.”
Dr Abdulkadri said El-Rufai’s attempt to paint the Tinubu administration as the “worst in history” was both dishonest and reckless, especially coming from a man who left behind a trail of debt, division, and insecurity in Kaduna State.
“Let’s not forget the mass displacement of communities under El-Rufai’s watch, or the reckless borrowing and ethnically polarised governance that characterised his tenure. He has no moral standing to accuse any one of failure,” he added.
The CCGG further described El-Rufai’s claimed disapproval ratings as “a phantom poll conducted in the basement of his resentment,” adding that numerous independent support groups have continued to endorse Tinubu’s leadership across the country, even though the president has not declared interest in a second term.
“Despite the challenges, millions of Nigerians — market women, youth groups, professionals and even opposition figures — continue to express confidence in the leadership of President Tinubu. His vision is clear, his approach is bold, and the results are beginning to show,” the group said.
The statement urged Nigerians to reject what it called “El-Rufai’s politics of self-interest and sabotage,” and to stay focused on holding all leaders to account based on tangible delivery, not desperation.
“El-Rufai should be reminded that governance is not an entitlement scheme. If the president chose to exclude him from the federal cabinet, it was within his constitutional right and strategic discretion. You cannot throw tantrums because you didn’t get picked for a position — that is not patriotism, that is pettiness,” the statement said.
The group called on political leaders to rise above personal grievances and contribute constructively to nation-building, warning that inflammatory rhetoric at this time could derail critical reforms.
“We urge the Nigerian people to ignore voices of distraction and stand firmly behind a government that is working to secure our future,” the statement concluded.