Former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai brushed off speculation surrounding his April 11, 2025, visit to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari in Kaduna, taking to X to taunt critics: “Don’t lose sleep over it.”
Accompanied by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-governors Aminu Tambuwal, Gabriel Suswam, and others, El-Rufai framed the gathering as a post-Eid al-Fitr courtesy call, emphasizing “unity and brotherhood” after Jumaat prayers and a private lunch.
The visit, coming weeks after El-Rufai’s defection from the APC to the SDP, sparked buzz about a potential 2027 election alliance, especially given Atiku’s PDP ties and Buhari’s northern clout. El-Rufai mocked the chatter, posting, “We’re all politically irrelevant, just enjoying lunch with our mentor,” yet his defiance only fueled talk of strategic maneuvering.
The meeting followed a separate visit by APC governors to Buhari, signaling his enduring influence as a northern kingmaker despite retiring from active politics in 2023. El-Rufai, once a Buhari loyalist, has clashed with Tinubu’s administration over policies like fuel subsidy removal, making his alignment with Atiku—a 2023 presidential rival—notable.
Political analyst Fatima Usman called it a “message to Tinubu’s camp” that northern elites are regrouping. El-Rufai’s X posts, liked over 15,000 times, show his knack for stirring debate, but he insisted the visit was personal, not a “conspiracy.” As Nigeria’s political landscape heats up, the Kaduna rendezvous keeps analysts guessing about alliances that could reshape the 2027 race.