Nigeria, June 26 -- In the run-up to the 2023 general elections, former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai stood as one of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's most vocal supporters. He went to great lengths to defend the controversial Muslim-Muslim ticket, often confronting dissenters within and outside the northern establishment. He was a power broker, a strategist, and one of the engines that helped push Tinubu into Aso Rock. Yet, barely two years into Tinubu's presidency, El-Rufai has seemingly turned into a restless critic, uttering veiled warnings, expressing disillusionment, and spitting fire against a government he once fought tooth and nail to enthrone.

It is no coincidence that this turncoat behavior began after he was dropped from ...