A human rights advocate, Dele Farotimi, has voiced skepticism over a potential political alliance between Peter Obi and Nasir El-Rufai ahead of the 2027 elections. Speaking in an interview with News Central, Farotimi dismissed the viability of such an alliance, citing El-Rufai’s history of bigotry and inaction during attacks on the people of Southern Kaduna.
According to TheNigerian, Farotimi, a former member of Obi’s presidential campaign council, emphasized that any alliance for the upcoming elections would be futile unless the Nigerian electoral system guarantees the sanctity of votes. He stressed that the people of Southern Kaduna and the Middle Belt would not accept an alliance that includes El-Rufai, given his controversial past.
Farotimi stated, “2027 is a waste of time. And if Peter Obi should discover an alliance with an El-Rufai, the question is this. That alliance, is it one that is found after Nigerians have become citizens where they have votes that count? If it is one, I might look at the content of such an alliance without prejudice to the fact that I would expect that someone who has committed so many sins against the Nigerian people, notably the people of Southern Kaduna, like El-Rufai, will pay penance and take a back seat. I wouldn’t expect him to be front and center and be enabling people to be reminded.”
Farotimi further elaborated on El-Rufai’s contentious reputation, highlighting his divisive remarks and policies during his tenure as Governor of Kaduna State. He noted that El-Rufai’s alleged complicity in the suffering of Southern Kaduna’s people would make it impossible for them to accept his leadership in any political arrangement.
“Because I don’t know how anybody would expect the people of Southern Kaduna to be looking at an El-Rufai. Even the people of the entire Middle Belt, I don’t know how they would remain in a, they would be able to stomach an El-Rufai in a political party where he has a prominent position. His bigotry is documented, too well documented for it to be something that we can be arguing,” he asserted.
When asked if he would prefer President Bola Tinubu over El-Rufai, Farotimi expressed his reservations about both figures but admitted that while he understands Tinubu’s governance style, El-Rufai’s actions make his “skin crawl.”
“Let me say this, Tinubu is the devil I know. El-Rufai’s propensity for evil, I don’t really know. I just know that he is profoundly, deeply, my skin crawls when I think of the things that have been associated with him. The things he himself has said in the public sphere, how terrorists are to be paid, how when you owe a Fulani man, you are going to pay for it, how the people of Southern Kaduna were just treated like vermin.”
Farotimi pointed out El-Rufai’s controversial statements about handling conflicts in Kaduna, accusing him of normalizing and justifying violence. He emphasized that as the former governor and chief security officer of the state, El-Rufai failed to address these issues appropriately, which makes his potential alliance with Obi untenable.
His remarks align with the growing concerns among Southern and Middle Belt leaders about El-Rufai’s political aspirations and influence. Farotimi concluded by stating that Nigerian citizens would not find political salvation in either Tinubu or El-Rufai, reinforcing the sentiment that the country’s leadership options remain deeply flawed.
