Thursday, October 8, 2026

APC silent on Tinubu’s Chicago scandals; says El-Rufai sulking, traumatised over failed appointment

Mr El-Rufai fell out with Mr Tinubu after he was nominated for a ministerial appointment but was blocked by the Senate.

• March 17, 2025
Nasir El-rufai
Nasir El-Rufai [Photo credit: ICIR]

The All Progressives Congress (APC), on Monday, said Nasir El-Rufai is sulking and traumatised because he was not appointed minister by President Bola Tinubu.  

In a statement by its spokesperson, Felix Morka, the APC dismissed Mr El-Rufai’s recent criticisms of Mr Tinubu but ignored his reference to president’s involvement in cocaine trafficking and certificate forgery in Chicago.  

“El-Rufai appears traumatised by his failure to land a ministerial position. Nursing a bruised ego, he now lashes out at the platform on which he rode to political prominence,” the statement said. “He should quit sulking, get a grip, and salvage some respectability.”

It added, “Today, El-Rufai stands diminished as the epitome of a self-interested politician, blinded by ego, driven by untamed emotion, and brimming with a vengeful desire to ‘collapse the system.'”

The APC dismissed Mr El-Rufai’s call on opposition figures—Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, Peter Obi of the Labour Party, Rauf Aregbesola, and Rotimi Amaechi—to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to challenge the ruling party, saying the APC is “unfazed by El-Rufai’s grudge-laden tirade.”

“El-Rufai’s call for opposition members to join him under the SDP banner is nothing short of an invitation to drink from a chalice poisoned by selfishness, vengefulness, and delusion of grandeur. Nigerians are far more savvy than El-Rufai thinks, and they know that he is driven by raw self-interest rather than a genuine concern for the country,” the statement said.  

The APC listed the achievements of the Tinubu-led government, ignoring Mr El-Rufai’s scathing remarks about Mr Tinubu’s past.  

Mr El-Rufai said he supported Mr Tinubu despite knowing his sordid antecedents because he wanted Mr Tinubu to replicate what he did as Lagos governor on a national scale.  

Referring to Mr Tinubu’s involvement in cocaine trafficking and certificate forgery scandals, Mr El-Rufai said, “We all know about his issues in Chicago, but we thought if he could replicate his work in Lagos for Nigeria, let’s support him. However, he failed.” 

The former Kaduna governor fell out with Mr Tinubu after he was nominated for a ministerial appointment but was blocked by the Senate.  

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

Nigerian Bar Association

States

Independence: NBA urges Nigerians to expect better future

The NBA said that ordinary Nigerians should be deriving benefit from the subsidy removal rather than hardship.

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Nigerian farmers

Agriculture

Takum farmers seek improved security to boost food production

The land that fed families for generations is now empty. In villages like Tor-Lijam, Akaajo, Abunde and Akase, people are displaced and their farms are destroyed.

African leaders

Africa

UN unveils $78 million lifeline for Africa’s Great Green Wall

The new investment comes as desertification, drought and climate change increasingly threaten agricultural livelihoods across the region.

Bola Tinubu

World

UN cash crisis must not hurt developing countries, says Nigeria

Nigeria has warned that the United Nations liquidity crisis must not disproportionately undermine human rights assistance to developing and conflict-affected countries.

Chimaobim Igbojekwe and Janelle Stelson

Diaspora

ICE nabs Chimaobim Igbojekwe, campaign canvasser for Democrat Janelle Stelson, for illegal stay, public nudity

Mr Igbojekwe was caught in public with his pants off, fully exposing himself, in a residential neighbourhood near a park with residents, including children.

President Bola Tinubu

Economy

World Bank upgrades Nigeria’s growth outlook amid Tinubu’s reforms, urges job creation, poverty alleviation

It warned, however, that growth remained too weak to generate sufficient productive employment and significantly reduce poverty.

Euphoria 360 Hub

Showbiz

Actor Femi Adebayo unveils entertainment hub in Lagos

Nollywood actor and filmmaker, Femi Adebayo, on Tuesday unveiled an entertainment hub, a film and media production facility in Oregun, Lagos.