19 May, 2026
There is an old saying by the Spanish philosopher Baltasar Gracián that the true test of a man’s character is what it takes to stop him. For Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, the test has come not in the form of a political rival, but in the form of a man he once helped usher into power. The ongoing ordeal of El-Rufai is the final verdict on every promise President Bola Tinubu has ever made. And that verdict is guilty of the highest form of political betrayal.
Let us rewind the tape. When the naira redesign policy under President Muhammadu Buhari threw the nation into chaos, ordinary Northerners could not access their own money. They queued for hours and died in the process. Who spoke for them? Who stood with them? It was El-Rufai, who stood on the side of the people. In February 2023, the then-governor of Kaduna State spoke with unmistakable clarity, asserting that the controversial currency policy was conceived after Tinubu became the APC candidate to “deprive him of what they alleged is a humongous war chest.” He further alleged the policy aimed to create nationwide cash shortages to incite citizens against the APC, and even lead to an Interim National Government. He promised that Tinubu would reverse this policy. The people of the North believed him. They stood with him. And by extension, they stood with Tinubu. He was our assurance.
Tinubu repaid that loyalty with the flattery of a master strategist. Political scholar Machiavelli once observed that men are so simple and so fond of their own desires that a deceiver will never lack victims for his tricks. During the 2023 campaign, Tinubu courted El-Rufai the way a man courts the attention of the most beautiful lady in town. He showed him the respect he craved, most famously at Chatham House in London, where Tinubu delegated El-Rufai to answer critical questions on security, thrusting him into the global spotlight when no one expected. He gave him a blank cheque to choose any ministry he wanted. In politics, as the Greek philosopher Plato warned, the greatest penalty for refusing to rule is to be ruled by someone inferior. El-Rufai did not refuse to rule. He accepted.
Then came the betrayal. After the election victory, El-Rufai’s name was sent to the Senate for confirmation as a minister. But it never went through. The public was told the Senate withheld his confirmation over security clearance. But El-Rufai would later break his silence, stating unequivocally that “please don’t believe the story that the national assembly rejected me. The president did not want me in his cabinet. He changed his mind.” After months of public courtship and private negotiations, Tinubu simply changed his mind. This is the man Northerners are banking on to keep promises about education, agriculture, and security? If he could publicly beg El-Rufai to join his team, then discard him like a used tissue, what makes you think your welfare is any safer in his hands?
Since his return from medical treatment in Egypt on February 12, 2026, El-Rufai has faced a relentless barrage of intimidation. Upon landing at Abuja airport, security operatives attempted to arrest him, seized his passport, and five officers were later detained for their unlawful actions. Since returning, he has been entangled in multiple legal proceedings, detained by the EFCC before being transferred to the ICPC. As recently as April 2026, El-Rufai appeared in court on charges including abuse of office and fraud, charges he consistently denies. This is the reward for loyalty under a Tinubu presidency—ceaseless court cases, intimidation at airports, and the humiliation of seeing your passport seized.
Through it all, his family has stood by him. His first wife, Hadiza Isma El-Rufai, is a woman of three master’s degrees whom El-Rufai publicly celebrates as his best friend and teenage sweetheart. This is a family man, not the monster the system wants you to believe. Xenophon, the Greek historian and student of Socrates, once wrote that the true test of a leader is not how he treats his allies, but how he treats those who can do nothing for him. Tinubu has failed that test. He discarded El-Rufai when he could do nothing for him. He will discard you too.
I am not worried about being labeled an enemy of Tinubu. I realize it is far more dangerous to be his friend. Look at the evidence: the naira redesign policy he would reverse remains in effect; the security he would fix is collapsing; and his loyal foot soldier is now in chains. Let this be a concrete warning to every Northerner banking on Tinubu’s promises: Beware. He will promise you heaven on earth only to leave you with the trials of hell. The trial of El-Rufai is your final warning. If you think am exxergrating ask Ganduje, Badaru, Aregbesola, Almakura, over 45% of the Senators who lost their seats and even more in the house of representatives. Do not be the next victim.
Mohammed Bello Doka can be reached via [email protected]
Abuja Network News
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Opinion