{"id":120084,"date":"2025-06-25T20:23:29","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T19:23:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=120084"},"modified":"2025-06-25T20:23:29","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T19:23:29","slug":"2027-presidency-replies-el-rufai-cites-obasanjos-damning-memoir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/2027-presidency-replies-el-rufai-cites-obasanjos-damning-memoir\/","title":{"rendered":"2027: Presidency Replies El-Rufai, Cites Obasanjo\u2019s Damning Memoir"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>By Oscar Okhifo<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The Presidency has hit back at former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, following his recent criticism of President Bola Tinubu\u2019s administration, referencing scathing remarks made about El-Rufai by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>El-Rufai, during a recent interview predicted that it would take a \u201cmiracle\u201d for President Tinubu to secure re-election in 2027. He referenced internal polling conducted by his team, claiming a staggering 91% disapproval rating in the Southeast and Northern Nigeria, and 78% in Lagos an APC stronghold.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>In a swift response, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, took to his X (formerly Twitter) account to discredit El-Rufai\u2019s assertions. Onanuga invoked Obasanjo\u2019s memoir My Watch (Volume 2), in which the former president delivered a searing critique of El-Rufai\u2019s character.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Quoting from pages 110 to 112 of the book, Onanuga recalled how Obasanjo once described El-Rufai as \u201ca pathological purveyor of untruths\u201d and someone suffering from \u201ca small-man syndrome.\u201d<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Obasanjo, in the memoir, alleged that El-Rufai frequently lied even to close family members and often exaggerated his importance.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cHe plays himself up to give himself more \u2018height\u2019 than he has,\u201d Obasanjo wrote, adding that El-Rufai was talented but only effective under close supervision.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The Presidency\u2019s decision to cite Obasanjo\u2019s personal reflections appears to be a calculated effort to undermine El-Rufai\u2019s credibility and political standing, especially in light of his increasingly critical public statements.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Observers note that the sharp exchange signals a deepening &#8220;war&#8221; with the political elite, El-Rufai, that once seen as a power broker within the ruling APC, has now positioned himself more openly as a critic of the Tinubu Government.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The former FCT Minister and Governor is yet to respond to the presidency\u2019s remarks.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>As Nigeria approaches the midpoint of President Tinubu\u2019s term, the growing political atmosphere is getting hotter. The skirmishes suggest that the road to 2027 may be paved with internal wrangling and high-profile confrontations.<\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Oscar Okhifo The Presidency has hit back at former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, following his recent criticism of President Bola Tinubu\u2019s administration, referencing scathing remarks made about&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":110889,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-120084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - 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