El-Rufai alerts Tinubu may transmute to life President, become “Nigeria’s Paul Biya”
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai has alerted that, despite his incompetence, Bola Tinubu may become “Nigeria’s Paul Biya” and transmute to life President if he is not voted out of Aso Rock in 2027.
Biya, 92, who has been Cameroonian President for 43 years, is seeking an eighth term in office in the ballot on October 12.
But his daughter Brenda, known as “King Nasty,” has taken to Tik Tok to caution fellow citizens not to re-elect her father because his rule for all of these four decades has left Cameroon with poverty, unemployment, and stagnation.
El-Rufai sounded the alarm at the weekend when he received former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who paid him a solidarity visit following a recent attack on him by “suspected APC-sponsored thugs” during the inauguration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Kaduna.
El-Rufai described the Tinubu regime as a disgrace to democratic ideals, accusing it of centralising power rather than deepening federalism.
“Honestly sir, to me, it is even a disgrace,” he told Atiku.
“I mean, for people to behave the way they are behaving, it means that all the years of saying that we are for democracy and NADECO, all the claims that we are fighting for true federalism and so on – it was all a pretense, all fake again.
“Because this [Tinubu] government is trying to centralise everything instead of devolving power to the lower levels.
“The sum total of this is that we are facing an evil of such a large proportion in the history of this country that if we don’t come together and end this Tinubu administration by 2027, Tinubu will try to be our Paul Biya. All the signs are there, this is how Paul Biya started.”
He applauded Atiku’s role in Nigeria’s democratic struggles, saying Nigerians are counting on his experience and leadership to rally the opposition.
“You are our leader, you have done this fight before, you have fought the military, you have experience in democratic governance. And when you and [Olusegun] Obasanjo were in charge of this country, no one was being harassed because he had a different political feel. Never, not once.
“Even [the late President Muhammadu] Buhari, with his military background, never did that, and here we are facing full-fledged civilians but they are worse than any military regime we’ve ever had.
“Your call that we must unite is a timely one. I think the people of Nigeria have made up their mind that APC must be voted out. Nigerians are looking forward to his [Tinubu’s] ouster.
“We must provide the leadership and the unity of purpose that we have talked about, and then I am sure with your leadership, forbearance and diplomatic skills of bringing people together, I am sure we will reach the Promised Land.”
Atiku applauded El-Rufai’s courage and urged opposition leaders to remain focused on ensuring that the Tinubu administration is checked and eventually rejected at the ballot box.
Said he: “Anyway, I know you are not the type of person who is scared to confront this situation, the more reason why we should come together to confront this situation to make sure that, one, it doesn’t happen anymore during the remaining part of this administration, and secondly, like you said, we send them out by 2027, not through any other thing else but through the ballot box.”
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