Senator Ali Ndume has taken a swipe at former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, describing the political setbacks El-Rufai is currently facing as “karma” for his actions during the 2023 presidential primaries.
Ndume, who served as Director-General of the Rotimi Amaechi Campaign, made the remarks during an appearance on Arise News on Tuesday.
According to him, El-Rufai initially aligned with Amaechi’s camp before abruptly shifting his support to President Bola Tinubu just before the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries.
“El-Rufai was supposed to be on our side, but somehow, he moved over,” Ndume said. “He was fully with us—Amaechi’s side—before Tinubu was nominated. But then, he changed course and gave Tinubu his full support. Tinubu even asked him to join the government.”
Ndume suggested that El-Rufai’s recent criticism of the Tinubu administration may be rooted in dissatisfaction with how he was treated post-election.
“I think these are some of the things frustrating him. But sometimes I think to myself, ‘Well, you did it to us; now you’re getting your payback.’”
He also recalled El-Rufai’s failed ministerial nomination after Tinubu’s electoral victory, noting that the Senate was initially poised to approve him without controversy.
“I was the Senate Chief Whip when El-Rufai came for ministerial screening, and we were almost ready to let him just take a bow and go,” Ndume said.
Despite being nominated, El-Rufai’s ministerial appointment was ultimately rejected by the Senate. Since then, he has resigned from the APC and joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP), where he has become one of the most vocal critics of the current administration.
Ndume’s comments add fuel to growing political tension as realignments begin to take shape ahead of the 2027 general elections.
