By NewsVista Reporter | June 24, 2025
A fresh wave of political tension has erupted following controversial comments made by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, during an interview on Arise Television, as reported by Leadership Newspaper.
In the now-viral interview, El-Rufai was quoted as saying:
“I brought Evil Tinubu to power. I should remove him now.”
The remark has been widely interpreted as a sharp rebuke of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, with many seeing it as a public signal of a growing rift between the two former allies.
Olayinka Responds: “He Once Paid Terrorists”
Shortly after excerpts from the interview surfaced online, Lere Olayinka, media aide to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, took to his verified X (formerly Twitter) account to fire back at the former governor.
“Èsù kékeré òde is still dreaming. Someone who said he paid terrorists as governor. Mtcheeeew,” Olayinka wrote, referring to El-Rufai’s past admissions.
The statement by Olayinka refers to a well-known moment during El-Rufai’s governorship, when he publicly acknowledged paying off bandits and herders to prevent attacks — a strategy that drew widespread criticism for allegedly emboldening violent groups across northern Nigeria.
By invoking this past, Olayinka sought to question El-Rufai’s credibility and moral standing, particularly in the context of national leadership and political integrity.
Wike’s Camp Holding the Line
Olayinka’s post appears to echo a broader sentiment within Wike’s political circle, which has consistently positioned itself as critical of both the Tinubu administration and El-Rufai’s controversial policies while in office.
Though President Tinubu has yet to respond to the outburst, political analysts say the situation reveals fractures within the broader ruling elite, as political alliances realign ahead of the 2027 elections.
El-Rufai, once a central figure in the APC’s inner circle and a key player in the 2023 general election, now appears to be positioning himself as a vocal critic, possibly paving the way for a new political coalition.
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