Osuntokun: El-Rufai Has Yet to Move On from Tinubu’s Support for Ribadu

Akin Osuntokun, who formerly served as a political adviser to President Olusegun Obasanjo, has asserted that the long-standing political discord between Nasir El-Rufai and Nuhu Ribadu was ignited by Bola Tinubu's preference for Ribadu over El-Rufai leading up to the 2011 presidential elections. He stated that El-Rufai has "never really gotten over" this decision.

In an interview with Arise News aired on Tuesday, Osuntokun traced the origins of this rivalry back to the latter years of Obasanjo’s government and the succession battle which ultimately led to the emergence of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

Osuntokun, who played a role as Obasanjo’s political adviser, noted that a nine-member task force created in 2006 to strategize the President’s exit had reached an almost unanimous conclusion to put forth El-Rufai as a preferred successor—an idea that was ultimately dismissed by Obasanjo.

"We were individually close to the President, sharing a father-son dynamic," Osuntokun recounted. "When he sought to create an exit strategy, he convened us as a formal caucus of nine."

This caucus, headed by then Attorney-General Bayo Ojo, was responsible for advising on the transition phase and identifying a successor. According to Osuntokun, they ultimately favored El-Rufai for the role.

"We decided that we should advocate for him," Osuntokun mentioned. "It was nearly a consensus agreement."

He further revealed that Ribadu, who was the Chairman of the EFCC at the time, was firmly in support of this suggestion.

"Oh yes, he was among the main advocates. Ribadu and El-Rufai were incredibly close, sharing a strong bond. Their collaboration was significant given their prominence and effectiveness as public servants. Nasir had an impressive track record as the FCT Minister, while Nuhu was distinguished as chairman of the EFCC—thus, it was practically agreed upon by us."

Osuntokun pointed out that El-Rufai had his suspicions about the group's choice of candidate. He recalled Obasanjo cautioning them, stating, "He knew El-Rufai better than we did and warned us of the risks. He felt it would be unfair to disregard Nasir but also noted that we were naive to the realities he understood about him."

Ultimately, Obasanjo selected Yar’Adua, citing his qualifications and his longstanding connection to the Yar’Adua family as deciding factors.

"Of the northern governors, Umaru had some of the best credentials. He was disciplined and maintained a reputable personal integrity," Osuntokun stated.

He also added, "Obasanjo often recalled that when he was poised to run for president in 1999, the first governor to endorse him was Umaru Yar’Adua, which reinforced their relationship. The memory of Shehu Yar’Adua remained significant for him."

Osuntokun dismissed claims that the events of 2006 led to a fallout between El-Rufai and Ribadu, asserting, "No, not at all."

He explained that the caucus had anticipated that Yar’Adua would keep them within his political circle.

"We believed that with Umaru as president, we would continue to be integrated into his administration. Therefore, we didn’t view the outcome as problematic."

However, relations with the Yar’Adua administration soured.

"Umaru did not want us around him and was unsympathetic towards us, which fractured our group," Osuntokun mentioned, noting that both El-Rufai and Ribadu eventually sought refuge abroad due to political pressures and investigations.

"Their political stature increased because of the way they were treated," he said.

Osuntokun stated that the crucial rift emerged later when Bola Tinubu, who had just completed his term as the governor of Lagos, aimed to support a younger northern candidate for the presidency.

"He wished to bolster a candidate from the North whom he could rally South- West support for," Osuntokun explained.

Tinubu proceeded to commission a public opinion poll.

"The results were overwhelmingly in favor of Nuhu. The opinion survey placed Nuhu at 45 percent, while El-Rufai had only 7 percent. It was upon these results that Tinubu reached out to Nuhu and endorsed him as a candidate," said Osuntokun.

Ribadu ultimately became the presidential candidate for the ACN.

Osuntokun noted that this endorsement had lasting repercussions for El-Rufai.

"I think this created animosity within Nasir—seeing that the ratings placed Nuhu above him. He has never truly reconciled himself with that disappointment," he stated.

Even El-Rufai's subsequent tenure as a two-term governor of Kaduna did not alleviate the tension, according to Osuntokun.

"No, he hasn’t moved past it," he asserted. "When you compare the two, El- Rufai had an advantage, having served as governor of Kaduna for eight years while Nuhu remained politically sidelined. However, then came the year 2023."

He pointed out that by that time, Ribadu had fortified his relationship with Tinubu.

"Nuhu strengthened his bond with Tinubu, becoming his close confidant during that time. Tinubu had even appointed Nuhu as the National Security Adviser, a role of significant power," Osuntokun noted.

He also hinted at El-Rufai’s unsuccessful bid for a ministerial position, suggesting that it heightened mistrust.

"That appeared to be a struggle," he remarked. "It seemed as though he developed an almost obsessive focus on Nuhu Ribadu—continuously trying to link him to every issue he faced."

While hesitant to delve into internal matters, Osuntokun felt a need to clarify the historical context.

"In reality, I prefer not to discuss some of our past actions together, but I think things have escalated too far to ignore," he concluded.