Former Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has described President Bola Tinubu’s administration as worse than any military regime Nigeria has experienced.
El-Rufai made the remarks on Sunday, when he hosted former Vice President Atiku Abubakar at his residence in Kaduna.
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Atiku had paid him a solidarity visit following the violent attack on the inauguration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the state, which left the event disrupted by thugs.
Addressing his guest, El-Rufai accused the Tinubu government of betraying democratic ideals and tilting toward authoritarianism.
“Honestly sir, to me, it is even a disgrace. 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 pretence, all fake again. Because this government is trying to centralize everything instead of devolving power to the lower levels.”
“This government is trying to centralize everything instead of devolving power to the lower levels,” he said.
He further alleged that Tinubu was showing signs of attempting to entrench himself in power, likening him to Cameroon’s President Paul Biya.
“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,” El-Rufai added.
In his response, Atiku applauded El-Rufai for speaking out, stressing the need for unity among opposition leaders.
He said: “We should come together to make sure… we send them out by 2027, not through any other thing else but through the ballot box.”
