KADUNA, April 11, 2025 – As the sun rose over Kaduna’s historic skyline, a wave of anticipation swept through the city, heralding the arrival of one of its most formidable sons, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai. The former governor, a titan of Nigerian politics, stepped into former President Muhammadu Buhari’s residence for a meeting that was anything but ordinary—a post-Sallah gathering that crackled with the promise of political revolution, perhaps evolution. Joined by opposition giants like Atiku Abubakar, Abubakar Malami, Aminu Tambuwal, and others, El-Rufai’s presence turned a festive courtesy call into a seismic event, casting a long shadow over the All Progressives Congress (APC) and igniting whispers of a 2027 insurgency. In Kaduna’s streets, the youth, women, and elderly thronged to catch a glimpse of their hero, a man whose legacy and vision continue to pulse through Nigeria’s veins.
The scene outside Buhari’s home was electric. Young men in vibrant kaftans chanted El-Rufai’s name, their voices echoing the dreams of a generation hungry for change. Women, adorned in colorful hijabs, waved enthusiastically, their admiration rooted in his empowerment programs that once transformed Kaduna’s markets and schools. The elderly, leaning on walking sticks, stood resolute, their weathered faces beaming with pride for the leader who modernized their state. This was no mere welcome—it was a testament to El-Rufai’s enduring bond with Kaduna’s soul, a bond forged through eight years of audacious governance. As philosopher Khalil Gibran once wrote, “The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind.”* El-Rufai, ever the teacher, led Kaduna to new horizons, and today, his people rallied to salute that legacy.
Inside Buhari’s residence, the air was thick with purpose. The guest list—Atiku, Malami, Tambuwal, Gabriel Suswam, Jibrilla Bindow, Isa Pantami—was a roll call of ambition, each name a thread in Nigeria’s intricate political tapestry. Yet, it was El-Rufai, the lion of Kaduna, who commanded the room. His sharp intellect, honed as a quantity surveyor and sharpened by years of public service, cut through the pleasantries. Sources describe him as a catalyst, weaving past rivalries into a shared vision, his voice steady yet charged with conviction. This was vintage El-Rufai—the man who reshaped Kaduna’s skyline with bridges and roads, who dared to sack underperforming teachers, who faced down critics with a steely resolve. As Friedrich Nietzsche declared, “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” El-Rufai’s battles—political, personal, and ideological—have forged a leader who thrives in the crucible of crisis.
Nigeria’s political history offers parallels to this moment. The 2013 APC merger, which El-Rufai helped midwife, toppled a sitting government. The 2007 Yar’Adua coalition, another northern masterstroke, redefined power. Today, El-Rufai stands at a similar precipice, his presence at Buhari’s table a signal that the North—Nigeria’s electoral heartbeat—is stirring. His fallout with President Bola Tinubu’s camp has freed him to chart a new course. Whispers of a Social Democratic Party (SDP) alliance swirled as he engaged Atiku, once Buhari’s rival, and Malami, a former APC stalwart. The youth outside, chanting “Mallam! Mallam!”, saw not just a politician but a symbol of defiance against a system straining under economic woes and regional divides.
El-Rufai’s appeal spans generations, a rare feat in Nigeria’s fractured polity. To the youth, he’s a visionary who digitized Kaduna’s economy, creating tech hubs that gave them a stake in the future. At the meeting, his exchanges with Pantami reportedly touched on digital governance, a nod to the restless Gen Z demanding jobs and innovation. Women, who flooded the streets with songs of praise, remember his urban renewal projects that made Kaduna safer and more accessible, from rebuilt markets to better-lit roads. One market trader, Aisha Musa, said, “Mallam gave us dignity—he listened.” The elderly, clutching prayer beads, revered him for restoring Kaduna’s pride, recalling his battles to secure federal allocations for their state. As Lao Tzu observed, “To lead people, walk beside them.” El-Rufai walks with Kaduna, his every step a promise of progress.
The APC has every reason to tremble. El-Rufai’s influence in Kaduna—where he once mobilized votes to secure Buhari’s victories—remains unmatched. His loyalists dominate local politics, from councillors to business moguls, and his grassroots network rivals any machine. The party’s anxiety was palpable days earlier, when APC governors reportedly pleaded with Buhari to curb defections. Buhari’s neutrality, a silent thunderclap, gave El-Rufai room to maneuver. His rapport with Tambuwal, a PDP defector, and Suswam, a grassroots mobilizer, hinted at a coalition that could fracture the APC’s northern base. As Aristotle noted, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” El-Rufai’s ability to unite these voices—PDP, APC renegades, independents—makes him a kingmaker whose shadow threatens Tinubu’s throne.
Yet, Nigerian politics is a labyrinth of egos and betrayals. The road to 2027 is fraught—alliances shift, and loyalty bends. El-Rufai’s critics, who decry his bulldozers or teacher reforms, still linger, and Governor Uba Sani holds sway over Kaduna’s current machinery. But in Buhari’s residence, El-Rufai rose above the noise. His laughter with Atiku, his nods to Bindow, his gravitas with Malami—these were the moves of a chessmaster, not a pawn. Outside, the crowd swelled, young voices blending with elders’ prayers, women’s cheers rising like a tide. They saw what Nigeria sees: a man unafraid to dream big, to build boldly, to fight fiercely.
This Kaduna summit may not birth a party tomorrow, but its echoes will linger. For the APC, it’s a warning—loyalty frays when trust falters. For the opposition, it’s a beacon, with El-Rufai its fiercest light. For Kaduna’s youth, women, and elderly, it’s a homecoming, their champion back where he belongs. As he left Buhari’s gate, the crowd surged forward, their roars drowning out the asr call to prayer. El-Rufai waved, his eyes alight with purpose, a man who knows 2027 is not a date but a destiny. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” Nasir El-Rufai is carving that trail, and Nigeria cannot look away.
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