- Former Kaduna state governor Nasir El-Rufai has been seen praising former Vice President Atiku Abubakar about his impact on economic development under Olusegun Obasanjo's administration
- El-Rufai's praising of Atiku was a deviation from his earlier criticism of the former vice president, particularly his attack on him in 2016
- Recall that the former governor recently made headlines when he criticised President Bola Tinubu's administration and the leadership of the APC
Nasir El-Rufai, the immediate past governor of Kaduna state, has sung the praises of the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, saying he deserved major credit for the economic growth Nigeria experienced under the administration of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo.
El-Rufai, who recently criticised President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), noted that Atiku, who was the vice president to Obasanjo, was responsible for most of the privatisation of the national assets.

Source: Twitter
El-Rufai criticised Tinubu, APC
Legit.ng recalled that the former governor, who had been at loggerheads with the APC leadership after his ministerial nomination was rejected by the Senate, was the head of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), which operated under Atiku's supervision during Obasanjo's administration.
On Friday, February 21, Atiku and El-Rufai led some delegates to Edwin Clark's family, a late elder statesman and Niger Delta advocate who died on Monday, February 17. During the visit, the former governor praised the former vice president's influence on the economic policy of Obasanjo's administration.
El-Rufai said:
“Nobody gives Alhaji Atiku Abubakar the credit for economic policy making under the Obasanjo administration. Many of the things we did, we did under his leadership.”He then moved to associate the reason why people are not giving credit to the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), adding that people only remember negative things about others. According to him, such is human nature.
When El-Rufai criticised Atiku
El-Rufai's comment was a remarkable departure from his earlier criticism of the former vice president. In 2016, the former governor accused Atiku of disseminating falsehoods and posited that the former vice president was being hunted by “demons of corruption.”

Source: Twitter
El-Rufai recently made headlines when he criticised President Bola Tinubu's administration and the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the ruling party has deviated from its promise to Nigerians and that he couldn't understand the kind of leadership of the party.
Analyst commented on El-Rufai's rift with APC
Reacting to the development, Omotayusuf Yusuf, a public commentator, in an exclusive interview with Legit.ng, explained that it is understandable that the former governor was not properly rewarded for his contributions to Tinubu's success in the 2023 election, considering that the Senate rejected his ministerial nomination.
Yusuf said:
"I think he (El-Rufai) is fighting a losing battle because the president has successfully taken over the party structure of Kaduna State through the current governor. He has also split Kaduna. For the first time, Kaduna South is getting the sort of recognition that they always desired, from the University to the security situations."Presidency speaks on El-Rufai's outburst
Legit.ng earlier reported that President Bola Tinubu's media aide Daniel Bwala has described the recent political activities of the former Kaduna state governor, Nasir El-Rufai, as mere complaints.
The presidential aide noted that the former governor is still a member of the APC and his activities should not be considered a political move.
El-Rufai recently made headlines after alleging that President Tinubu has deviated from the promises APC made to Nigerians.
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Source: Legit.ng