—Former associates blame family influence and dispute over ADC primary for political split
Former political associates and grassroots allies of ex-Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai have rejected accusations of betrayal over their decision to leave his camp, saying it was El-Rufai who abandoned the political understanding that once bound them together.
Speaking under the platform Kaduna De-Initiative, the group said its members supported, campaigned for and defended El-Rufai and helped build political structures across the state, but decided to move on after years of growing disagreements, marginalisation and a breakdown of mutual trust.
The statement — signed by former Deputy Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly Mukthar Isa Hazo and former Kaduna SDP chairman and four-time state assembly member Nasiru Abdullahi Maikano — named several former officials involved in the realignment, including former Commissioners Ja’afaru Sani, Dr. Shehu Usman Makarfi and Bashir Saidu, and former senator Abdu Kwari.
“We did not abandon El-Rufai; rather, we believe El-Rufai abandoned the political understanding that had bound us together,” the group said.
The alliance says the relationship began to deteriorate after El-Rufai’s re-election in 2019, when former associates were increasingly excluded from decision-making as members of the former governor’s family were perceived to assume greater influence in government affairs. The group said their grievance is not that El-Rufai relied on family or trusted aides, but that family interests grew dominant and weakened the political structure that had supported his administration.
They say relations worsened in 2023 and fractured further after El-Rufai left office, with the decisive rupture occurring around the African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship primary. According to the group, Ja’afaru Sani was regarded within their camp as the preferred successor, but El-Rufai allegedly supported Isa Ashiru. Ashiru emerged as the ADC candidate with 86,113 votes to Sani’s 29,580; Sani rejected the result, alleging irregularities.
The former associates further alleged that El-Rufai’s support for Ashiru was tied to an effort to retain influence over a possible Ashiru administration, including an alleged understanding that two of El-Rufai’s wives would receive appointments if the ADC won in 2027. The group acknowledged the allegation has not been proven in court or documented publicly.
The statement also listed a wide circle of former allies who have changed political direction over time, naming, among others, former SSG Balarabe Lawal Abbas; former chiefs of staff Hadiza Bala Usman and Moh Sani Dattijo; former deputy governor Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe; and several former commissioners, speakers and senators. The group clarified that not all listed individuals share identical reasons for their differences with El-Rufai and that changes in political allegiance are not necessarily permanent.
Rejecting the idea that El-Rufai alone created the state’s political structures, the former allies said CPC and PDP politicians, grassroots organisers and established networks predated his rise. They argued that political loyalty is not a perpetual obligation and that those who supported El-Rufai have the right to determine their own political futures.
The group said its decision was not motivated by hatred or revenge but by a desire to take responsibility for its political future and that of its followers. It announced that Kaduna De-Initiative had accepted Governor Uba Sani’s reconciliation initiative and returned to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The former allies said the realignment would bring their structures and grassroots supporters across Kaduna’s 23 local government areas back into the APC fold, and pledged to focus on security, education, infrastructure, employment, economic opportunities and peaceful coexistence.
“We are not interested in turning our disagreement with El-Rufai into a personal war, but we will not apologise for exercising our political independence,” the statement said. “We are adults, and we have made our decision.”
