The Citizens Collective for Good Governance (CCGG) has accused former Kaduna governor, Nasir El-Rufai, of launching attacks against President Bola Tinubu out of bitterness over his exclusion from the federal cabinet.
In a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by its president, Gambo Abdulkadri, the group described El-Rufai’s recent remarks as “a desperate and vindictive campaign” driven by bruised ego and unfulfilled ambition.
El-Rufai, who served as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and later as a two-term governor, had, in a recent interview with Arise Television, said Tinubu would need “a miracle” to win re-election in 2027.
He also cited a 91 percent disapproval rating for the president — a figure the group described as “fabricated and delusional.”
“The public outburst by Mallam Nasir El-Rufai is nothing but the cry of a political actor whose ego was bruised when President Tinubu, in his wisdom, declined to reward him with a ministerial position.
“For someone who claims to have supported the president’s emergence, El-Rufai’s sudden antagonism only confirms that his loyalty was never to the country, nor to good governance, but to his own ambition,” Abdulkadri said.
The group defended Tinubu’s performance in office, citing reforms in the oil and gas sector, the fight against corruption, and renewed efforts toward food security and job creation as evidence of sound leadership.
“Within just over a year, President Tinubu has taken bold and necessary decisions to reset Nigeria’s economy — from ending fuel subsidy fraud to restructuring our fiscal regime,” the statement read.
It also pointed to the student loan programme, foreign investment push, and national infrastructure renewal as proof that the president is focused on long-term development.
Abdulkadri accused El-Rufai of attempting to rewrite the narrative despite his record in Kaduna State, which he said was marred by debt, division, and insecurity.
“Let’s not forget the mass displacement of communities under El-Rufai’s watch, or the reckless borrowing and ethnically polarised governance that characterized his tenure,” he said.
The group described the purported 91 percent disapproval rating as “a phantom poll conducted in the basement of his resentment,” insisting that President Tinubu continues to enjoy broad-based support nationwide.
“Despite the challenges, millions of Nigerians — market women, youth groups, professionals, and even some opposition figures — continue to express confidence in the leadership of President Tinubu,” the group said.
It urged Nigerians to reject what it called “El-Rufai’s politics of self-interest and sabotage,” and to remain focused on evaluating leaders based on delivery and national interest.
“El-Rufai should be reminded that governance is not an entitlement scheme. If the president chose to exclude him from the federal cabinet, it was within his constitutional right and strategic discretion,” the statement added.
CCGG warned political actors against inflammatory rhetoric and called for a focus on constructive contributions to nation-building.
“We urge the Nigerian people to ignore voices of distraction and stand firmly behind a government that is working to secure our future,” it concluded.
