Ndume links El-Rufai’s rift with Tinubu to “political karma” over Amaechi betrayal

Senator Ali Ndume has attributed the political fallout between former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and President Bola Tinubu to what he described as a case of “political karma,” pointing to El-Rufai’s past betrayal of former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi.

Ndume, who served as the Director-General of Amaechi’s presidential campaign in the build-up to the 2023 elections, made the comments during an interview on Arise News.

He recounted how El-Rufai initially threw his weight behind Amaechi’s presidential ambition before abruptly switching allegiance to Tinubu in the lead-up to the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries.

According to Ndume, El-Rufai had openly endorsed Amaechi during a visit to Kaduna but reversed his position shortly after Tinubu visited the state.

The senator alleged that El-Rufai’s switch was not only decisive but also instrumental in consolidating northern support for Tinubu’s candidacy.

Despite the loyalty El-Rufai later showed to Tinubu, including his vigorous campaign efforts, Ndume noted that the former Kaduna governor was ultimately not confirmed by the Senate during his ministerial nomination — an unexpected setback that hinted at a deeper political fallout.

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“El-Rufai worked hard to make Tinubu president and was expected to sail through the Senate screening,” Ndume said. “But politics is dynamic, and now he’s outside the circle he helped build.”

The fallout has since widened, with El-Rufai reportedly distancing himself from the APC and engaging with the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP) and other anti-Tinubu elements.

While Ndume stopped short of confirming the precise reasons behind the rift, he suggested that El-Rufai may now be reaping the consequences of his past political maneuvers.

“It may just be karma,” Ndume remarked. “What he did to Amaechi is now coming back to him. That’s how politics works.”

The comments add a new dimension to the growing speculation surrounding El-Rufai’s political future and his fractured relationship with the current administration.