Former political associates and grassroots supporters of ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai have rejected claims that they betrayed him, saying instead that it was the former governor who abandoned the political understanding that previously united them.
The group, operating under the Kaduna De-Initiative, made its position known in a statement signed by former Deputy Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Mukhtar Isa Hazo, alongside other former political associates.
The group said its members had supported El-Rufai, campaigned for him and defended his administration while helping to establish political structures and grassroots networks across Kaduna State.
However, the former allies said their relationship with the former governor deteriorated over time because of disagreements, alleged marginalisation and a decline in mutual trust.
The group has now announced its return to the All Progressives Congress following an ongoing reconciliation initiative led by Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani.
It said the decision to return to the APC was based on its determination to take responsibility for the political future of its members and supporters.
Among those associated with the realignment are former Kaduna State Social Democratic Party chairman and four-time House of Assembly member for Ungwan Sanusi Constituency, Nasiru Abdullahi Maikano.
Former commissioners Ja’afaru Sani, Shehu Usman Makarfi and Abdu Kwari, as well as former Commissioner for Local Government Affairs and Finance and two-time Chief of Staff to El-Rufai, Bashir Saidu, are also part of the group.
FORMER ALLIES EXPLAIN THEIR DISAGREEMENTS WITH EL-RUFAI
The group rejected the description of its members as disgruntled politicians attempting to regain political relevance.
It said its members had participated in elections, won and lost contests, mobilised communities and built political relationships across Kaduna’s 23 local government areas.
The former associates maintained that they did not abandon El-Rufai but believed that the former governor had abandoned the political arrangement that had brought them together.
According to the group, tensions became more pronounced during El-Rufai’s second term as governor after some of his former political associates allegedly felt increasingly excluded from government decision-making.
They also alleged that members of El-Rufai’s family gradually gained greater influence in government affairs.
The group said its concern was not about the former governor relying on relatives or trusted associates but what it described as the increasing influence of family interests at the expense of the broader political structure that had supported his administration.
According to the former allies, the relationship had become seriously strained by 2023 and worsened further after El-Rufai left office.
2027 POLITICS DEEPENED THE DIVISION
The group identified the political developments surrounding the 2027 Kaduna governorship race under the African Democratic Congress as the point at which the disagreement reached a final break.
According to the former associates, Ja’afaru Sani was regarded within their political camp as the preferred successor and the figure around whom their political structure would mobilise ahead of the 2027 election.
However, they alleged that El-Rufai backed Isa Ashiru, a former political opponent, during the ADC governorship primary.
Ashiru eventually emerged as the party’s candidate after securing 86,113 votes, compared with Sani’s 29,580 votes. Sani rejected the outcome and alleged irregularities.
The former allies further alleged that El-Rufai’s support for Ashiru was connected to efforts to maintain political influence under a possible ADC administration.
They also made an allegation concerning possible appointments for two of El-Rufai’s wives if the ADC won the election. However, the group acknowledged that this claim had not been independently established by a court or backed by a publicly documented agreement.
‘POLITICAL LOYALTY CANNOT BE A PERMANENT DEBT’
The former associates argued that political relationships do not permanently bind individuals to one another.
They said El-Rufai had the right to make his own political decisions and that his former associates equally had the right to determine their political direction.
The group also rejected the suggestion that El-Rufai alone built the political structures responsible for his electoral successes in Kaduna.
According to them, Kaduna already had politicians, grassroots organisers, former elected officials and established political networks before El-Rufai became the dominant political figure in the state.
They cited Bashir Saidu as an example of an individual who was involved in the state’s political structure before El-Rufai’s emergence and later served as a commissioner and Chief of Staff during his administration.
GROUP RETURNS TO APC
The former allies said their decision to return to the APC was not motivated by hatred or revenge.
They said they had accepted Governor Uba Sani’s reconciliation initiative and would bring their political structures and grassroots supporters back into the APC fold.
The group also stressed that the move should not be interpreted as a declaration of personal war against El-Rufai.
It maintained that its members were exercising their political independence and had made their decision as adults with responsibility for their own political future.
The development represents another significant realignment in Kaduna politics ahead of the 2027 elections, with former associates of El-Rufai now returning to the APC following the reconciliation effort led by Governor Uba Sani.
EL-RUFAI’S ONGOING ICPC CASE
El-Rufai has been in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission since February 18, 2026, in connection with an ongoing investigation.
His continued detention has generated public attention, with opposition figures and other political actors calling for his release and questioning the circumstances surrounding the length of his detention.
