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Some Persons In Aso Rock Are Working Against Tinubu, Trying To Make APC Lose Forthcoming Elections – Governor El-Rufai

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February 1, 2023

El-Rufai made the allegation on Wednesday morning while speaking on Channels TV’s programme monitored by SaharaReporters.

Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has alleged that in the forthcoming general elections, some persons (elements) within the Aso Rock are working against the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu.

El-Rufai made the allegation on Wednesday morning while speaking on Channels TV’s programme monitored by SaharaReporters.

The governor, who did not reveal the identities of the persons, said those working against Tinubu were aggrieved that Tinubu defeated their candidate in the APC presidential primaries, and that these elements were hiding behind President Muhammadu Buhari’s desire to do what he thought was right.

This is coming barely a week after Tinubu said during his presidential campaign rally in Ogun State that there were plans to frustrate his presidential ambition and stop him from winning the election, alleging that the rising fuel scarcity and the naira redesign by the Buhari government were targeted at him.

During the programme, El-Rufai said, “I believe there are elements in the Villa that want us to lose the election because they didn’t get their way; they had their candidate. Their candidate did not win the primaries.

“They are trying to get us to lose the election, and they are hiding behind the president’s desire to do what he thinks is right. I will give two examples: this petroleum subsidy, which is costing the country trillions of Naira, was something that we all agreed would be removed.

“In fact, I had a discussion with the president and showed him why it had to go. Because how can you have a capital budget of N200billion for federal roads and then spend N2trillion on petroleum subsidy? This was a conversation I had with the president in 2021 when the subsidy thing started rising. He was convinced. We left. It changed. Everyone in the government agreed, and it changed.

“The second example I will give is this currency redesign. You have to understand the president. People are blaming the Governor of the Central Bank for the currency redesign, but No. You have to go back and look at the first outing of Buhari as president.

“He did this; the Buhari, Idiagbon regime changed our currency and did it in secrecy with a view to catching those that are stashing away illicit funds. It is a very good intention. The president has his right. But doing it at this time within the allotted time does not make any political or economic sense.”