Rumours of Obi-El Rufai’s 2027 Presidential collaboration to unseat Tinubu is gaining momentum on social media.
NewsOnline Nigeria recalls that a popular political X User, Pidom Nigeria, has reported that power brokers are working on an alliance that can flush out Bola Tinubu from Aso Rock.
This popular X user added that Peter Obi-Nasir El-Rufai’s ticket was settled and agreed upon pending any last-minute changes.
ALSO: El-Rufai Gears Up To Fight Tinubu Over Exclusion For Security Risk Allegations
He tweeted, “In Nigeria’s politics, there are unseen power brokers. They check the strength and weaknesses of candidates before forming alliance. From a very reliable source as i was informed, the Obi and El-Rufai combo that is being proposed, is the only formidable force that can flush Tinubu out of power in 2027. That is why it is being considered at the moment. According to what i gathered, the power brokers believes Obi has a cult followership, general love, acceptance, and political strength to pull massive votes around SE, SW, SS, and around some North Central states. But he needs a formidable force to sell and drive his candidacy into the Core-Northern states. Firstly, a hard-line Muslim with political strength to market Obi around the KKK states in the north, so he could be accepted. Secondly, someone who is well Educated and smart enough to checkmate Peter Obi, because of trust issues between both regions. Thirdly, someone who will automatically succeed Peter Obi, to become president, banking on Peter Obi’s political support. They found that person in Nasiru El-Rufai. The plan is to adopt another political party, and see to the reality of this plan. It is left to both men to either accept, or reject the proposal. In 2023, the Obi/Kwankwaso combo did not work, as both men want to be president. Kwankwaso refused to be vice presidential candidate to Peter Obi.”
This rumour has raised dust on X following the reports that the Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, is gearing up for a major legal confrontation with President Bola Tinubu.
According to Vanguard, El-Rufai, amid allegations labelling him a security risk, seeks to vindicate himself in court and simultaneously brace for a political showdown affecting the president’s potential re-election bid in 2027.
This looming battle traces back to the Tinubu administration’s controversial decision to exclude El-Rufai from ministerial office due to alleged security concerns, a move that has sparked significant public and political discourse.
El-Rufai’s recent activities, including engagements with the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and opposition figures, signal his growing alignment with political dissent.
Despite his pivotal contributions to Tinubu’s presidential campaign, El-Rufai, who initially expressed a desire to take a break in academia, was persuaded to contribute to the government’s energy sector revival plans.
Drawing on his experience from the Bureau for Public Enterprises and the energy reforms under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, El-Rufai began laying groundwork for his ministerial role, only to be unexpectedly sidelined during the Senate’s screening process over security clearance issues.
The decision stunned many political observers, considering El-Rufai’s influential role in rallying Northern governors’ support for Tinubu and his instrumental actions in the latter’s electoral success in key Southwestern states.
A senior government official from one of the Southwest states on the condition of anonymity said, “He played a key role in funding us in my state and I can tell this because I was personally involved.”
Beside the significant contribution as attested by the official from the Southwest State, El-Rufai in the twilight qaof the Muhammadu Buhari administration also shocked many with his decision to, along with others challenge the Federal Government over the naira redesign project of the federal government.
Defending why he opposed the Buhari government on the naira redesign policy, El-Rufai had claimed it was meant to instigate the polity against the APC by those around the former president who failed in their bid to stop Tinubu from getting the presidential ticket.
He said, “They also sought to achieve any one or more of the following objectives: create a nationwide shortage of cash so that citizens are incited to vote against APC candidates across the board resulting in massive losses for the Party in all the elections.”
However, despite his stellar role in helping Tinubu to power, a source close to El-Rufai disclosed that the camp of the former governor believed that it was wrong for him to have been so publicly humiliated and to have been tagged a security risk.
One of the confidants of the former governor told Saturday Vanguard, “You think Mallam will allow this tag to abide on him? I can assure you that he is going to clear his name in court.
“El-Rufai is a man who has many contacts internationally and he is not one to allow his reputation to be smeared by the reason given by the Senate of being a security risk,” the source said in revealing the prospects of court action to enable the former governor to clear his name.
Besides the resort to the court of law, the former governor it was gathered is also mobilising to play a role against Tinubu in the court of public opinion ahead of 2027.
Whether El-Rufai would stand as a candidate or mobilise against the president in 2027 in the same way he did in supporting him in 2023 is, however, a matter that is yet to be determined.
Saturday Vanguard reports that the strategic facilitation provided by El-Rufai to Tinubu came after he had in the past lampooned Tinubu as a godfather. He had at a lecture in May 2019 averred that it was possible to defeat the godfather of Lagos.
A year later at a webinar to commemorate the 63rd birthday of Rauf Aregbesola in May 2020, El-Rufai had said that Tinubu was not his man.
While congratulating Aregbesola, El-Rufai said, “I want to congratulate my brother, Ogbeni (Aregbesola), on his birthday. You know I’m your man any day. I’m not Asiwaju’s man and you are Asiwaju’s man, but I am your man any day. Asiwaju and I have differences but you and I have no differences.”
How Social Media/X Users Are Reacting to this rumour:
Ayemojubar, “A genocidal short fuse to vice PO? Bro, he’s not desperate to be a president, let the “power brokers” continue on their wide goose chase. Nobody desires a repeat of the Obasanjo/Atiku loggerhead presidency.”
Wale Talabi, “Not even a vile human being like El ruffy, the only difference between him and Wike is just loudness.”
Asogwa Kelechi, “Those in power are they holy, anything to save our country abeg, the one I won’t accept is PO becoming anybody’s VP. I won’t even go out to vote”
Pidom Nigeria, “Since Democracy, Nigeria has never had a perfect pair of president and vice. It’s either they combine a criminal with an upright vice, a tiger with a weakling, dunce with a well Educated, or a sick with a healthy. Power brokers are behind all these negative pairings. Forget what you see.”
