El-Rufai’s Former Allies Reject Betrayal Claims, Return to APC

Former political associates and grassroots allies of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai have rejected accusations of betraying him, saying it was the former governor who abandoned the political understanding that brought them together.

The position was contained in a statement signed by former Deputy Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Mukhtar Isa Hazo, and other members of the Kaduna De-Initiative. The statement was made available to journalists in Kaduna on Thursday.

The group said its members supported, campaigned for and defended El-Rufai while helping to build political structures across Kaduna State. It said the relationship later deteriorated over what it described as marginalisation, disagreements and a loss of mutual trust.

The former allies also announced their return to the All Progressives Congress following a reconciliation initiative by Governor Uba Sani. They said the decision was driven by their desire to take responsibility for their political future and that of their supporters.

Those associated with the statement include 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, were also listed.

The group rejected claims that its members were disgruntled politicians seeking relevance, saying they had contested elections, mobilised communities and built political relationships across Kaduna’s 23 local government areas. It declared, “We did not abandon El-Rufai; rather, we believe El-Rufai abandoned the political understanding that had bound us together.”

The former allies said their disagreements with El-Rufai became more pronounced during his second term after the 2019 election. They alleged that some political associates were increasingly excluded from decision-making while members of his family gained greater influence in government affairs. The claims were presented by the group and were not independently established in the statement.

They said the final break came over political alignments for the 2027 Kaduna governorship contest on the African Democratic Congress platform. According to the group, Ja’afaru Sani was expected to anchor its political structure, but El-Rufai allegedly backed Isa Ashiru instead. Sani later rejected the ADC primary result and alleged irregularities, while the group also made further claims about the motives behind El-Rufai’s support for Ashiru.

The former allies maintained that political loyalty should not be treated as a permanent obligation. They said El-Rufai had the right to make his political choices and that his former associates had the same right. They also stressed that their return to the APC was not motivated by hatred or revenge, but by what they described as political independence and responsibility to their supporters.

The group said it had accepted Uba Sani’s reconciliation initiative and returned to the APC, adding that its political structures and grassroots supporters across Kaduna would be part of the realignment. El-Rufai remains involved in ongoing legal proceedings; recent reports indicate that he has remained in ICPC custody after a temporary compassionate release in March to attend his mother’s burial.