Ex-Governor Nasir El-Rufai says former President Muhammadu Buhari endorsed his dumping the ruling All Progressives Congress for Social Democratic Party, following the manner incumbent President Bola Tinubu treated.

Mr El-Rufai said this in a recent interview with BBC Hausa.

“I met with him (Buhari) on Friday and told him about my consultations in preparation to leave the party. I sought his blessing and prayers and told him about the new party I was joining. And he gave his blessing, prayers and wished me success,” the politician said.

Asked if he dumped the APC out of bitterness that he was not appointed as a minister by Mr Tinubu, Mr El-Rufai said he did not lobby for appointment but was begged to join the government.

Mr Tinubu “publicly begged me in Kaduna to come and work with him,” said Mr El-Rufai.

The former Kaduna governor explained that “even at that, I did not accept his request until we sat privately to discuss the issue.”

Mr El-Rufai added, “He (Tinubu) said power problem has become an issue to Nigeria’s development, and successive leaders have failed to solve the problem.

“He (Tinubu) sought my support to achieving his dream of becoming the president who solves the power problem. It was in the light of this challenge, I accepted to consider working with him. I thought he was serious.”

However, the politician said he did not regret supporting Mr Tinubu’s presidential ambition, “but I am disappointed.”

Presidential spokesperson Daniel Bwala dismissed Mr El-Rufai’s defection as an inordinate ambition to unseat Mr Tinubu, which would fail.