Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno South in the National Assembly, has suggested that the current political rift between President Bola Tinubu and former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai may be a case of karma a consequence of El-Rufai’s actions during the 2023 presidential primaries.

Ndume, who served as Director-General of Rotimi Amaechi’s presidential campaign, revealed in an interview on Arise News that El-Rufai had initially backed Amaechi but later switched allegiance to Bola Tinubu just before the APC primaries.

“El-Rufai was supposed to be on our side, but somehow he moved over,” Ndume said. “He was fully with us Amaechi’s side before Tinubu was nominated. But then, he changed course and gave Tinubu his full support. Tinubu even asked him to join the government.”

Reflecting on the fallout, Ndume admitted that El-Rufai’s current frustration with the Tinubu administration might be linked to how events have unfolded post-election.

“Sometimes I think to myself, ‘Well, you did it to us; now you’re getting your payback,’” he said.

Ndume also recalled that during El-Rufai’s ministerial screening after Tinubu’s victory, there were initial plans in the Senate to let him “take a bow and go.” However, El-Rufai’s nomination was ultimately rejected.

Since then, El-Rufai has distanced himself from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP), where he has become an outspoken critic of the Tinubu administration.