The Northern Youths Frontiers (NYF), has issued a scathing rebuke of former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, over recent comments made during a political gathering in Sokoto, describing them as divisive, self-serving, and disconnected from the realities and aspirations of Northern Nigeria.
The NYF noted with concern that El-Rufai became more brazenly bitter after he lost a ministerial bid when he was rejected by the Senate due to petitions rooted in the growing lack of trust in his leadership and character.
In a strongly worded statement signed by the NYF North West Zonal Coordinator, Saminu Tukur, the group accused El-Rufai of deliberately stoking regional tensions to revive his fading political relevance ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He said: “The NYF contended that El Rufai’s veiled threats about 2027 and inflammatory rhetoric amount to a desperate attempt by a politically irrelevant figure to reinsert himself into the national discourse through controversy, divisiveness, and desperation.
“We believe that his utterances were reckless, self-serving, and wholly unrepresentative of the views and aspirations of the North. Let it be clear that El-Rufai does not speak for Kaduna State, and certainly not for the North.
“His brand of politics, driven by personal ambition and bitterness, has long been rejected by the people. The North today stands for unity, peace, and national development, not the outdated politics of division and discord. His remarks in Sokoto only serve to remind Nigerians of his fading relevance and toxic political legacy.
“Most egregiously, El-Rufai betrayed the very people that had propelled him to national relevance such as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who mentored him and influenced his appointment at the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE), former President Obasanjo who trusted him as FCT Minister, and late President Buhari whose popularity he exploited to become Kaduna State Governor, he discarded their alliances for personal advancement.
“Till today, El Rufai holds grudges with the late President Yar’Adua, who refused to massage his ego through patronage and political appointments. ”
The NYF assures the public that Northerners are already sick and tired of El-Rufai’s selfish, manipulative political machinations and myopic worldview that reduces politics to a personal property for him and his lineage. His treachery against every leader since 1999 proves he serves no cause but his ambition.
The NYF reminds El-Rufai of his poor legacy as governor of Kaduna State, where he ruled with an iron fist for 8 consecutive years and ended up as a colossus failure, whose tenure was characterised by insecurity, high-handedness, and policy failures.
The NYF also lambasted El-Rufai’s eight-year tenure as governor of Kaduna State, describing it as a period marked by insecurity, authoritarianism, and poor policy choices.
The group urged youths across Northern Nigeria and beyond to shun divisive politics and instead focus on unity, innovation, and progress.
He said: “Kaduna under El-Rufai became one of the most insecure states in Nigeria, with banditry, kidnapping, and mass killings in areas like Birnin Gwari and Southern Kaduna left abandoned while his government watched. We remind Nigerians that the same El Rufai, who sacked over 22,000 teachers, which led to a crisis in the education sector, and falling standards rather than improvement, cannot offer any better alternative to the masses.
“The organization further noted that El-Rufai left Kaduna with heavy debt from loans purportedly taken for infrastructural development, yet many projects remain irrelevant to the needs of the people.
“The NYF contended that El Rufai only deepened ethnic and religious fault lines, and thus cannot be trusted with power at the national level, else he will nationalise and widen the fissure of mistrust he had sowed in a diverse state like Kaduna.
“We believe that he is simply seeking to inflame regional tensions with careless political statements to nurse a bruised ego after being rejected by the people and sidelined in national politics. His actions and utterances are rooted not in ideology but in a desperate grasp for relevance and patronage.
“The NYF averred that he no longer enjoys the confidence of his people or political peers. The North is not his fiefdom. We reject his false claims and condemn his attempt to drag the region into petty political fights that serve no one but himself.
“The group urged the youth across Northern Nigeria and beyond to shun divisive rhetoric and focus on building bridges of understanding, unity, and national development. Our future as a region lies in collaboration, innovation, and collective progress, not in the bitter politics of has-beens.
“The NYF remains committed to promoting peace, responsible leadership, and policies that uplift our people across all states in the North.”
