“Nobody Talks About Him” — Daniel Bwala Dismisses Nasir El-Rufai’s Political Relevance
Daniel Bwala, the Special Adviser on Public Communications and Media to President Bola Tinubu, has publicly dismissed the significance and relevance of the political coalition being championed by former Kaduna State governor Nasir el-Rufai. According to Bwala, this coalition lacks real traction and has already lost its momentum, making it largely ineffective in Nigeria’s current political landscape.
Speaking on the popular television programme Focus Nigeria on AIT on Wednesday, May 14, Bwala made his position very clear. He began by addressing a commonly held belief among some southern Nigerians regarding political power rotation in the country. He said, “I know that the southern people generally have a sentiment that the north has done eight years. The south should be allowed to do eight years.” What Bwala is referring to here is the long-standing understanding in Nigerian politics about the principle of zoning or power rotation — the idea that political offices, especially the presidency, should rotate between the North and the South to ensure fairness and inclusivity.
He continued to explain the practical implications of this sentiment: “These southern people who have this sentiment, they are even in the political parties where northerners have contested. They will not vote for the northern candidate. They will vote for a southern candidate. And it is fair, just, and equitable.” What Bwala is emphasizing is that this feeling is not just talk but translates into real political action. In political parties where candidates from the North compete, many southern voters consciously prefer southern candidates, demonstrating that this attitude is based on a desire for fairness in political power distribution.
Bwala then shifted his focus to the political influence of the North itself, challenging the idea that the North’s political strength is as solid as some may claim. He pointed out that the power attributed to the North is often exaggerated, and he explained why: “When we talk of the north, there are times there is a misconception. People identify five eggheads and call them the north. Some of them are disconnected from the source.” By “eggheads,” Bwala means a small group of elite northern politicians who claim to represent the entire North but in reality, do not reflect the broader interests or views of the region’s diverse population.
Without immediately naming Nasir el-Rufai, Bwala referred to a former governor who is attempting to generate attention and political momentum through a coalition. He said, “I give you an example of a governor; a former governor that left us, and he’s moving a coalition, generating buzz, according to them.” When pressed by the programme’s anchor on whether he was referring to el-Rufai, Bwala responded affirmatively, “Okay, yes.”
Bwala went on to argue that the political relevance and influence of Nasir el-Rufai began to decline even before he left office as governor of Kaduna State. He explained, “Now, take, for example, there are some people from the south or elsewhere: when they see him talking, they will think as if he will move like a clap of thunder out of a blue sky.” What Bwala is saying here is that some people expect el-Rufai to suddenly become a major political force — a dramatic and powerful influence that can shake up the political scene overnight. However, Bwala cautions that politics is more methodical and predictable than that.
He elaborated further, “But in politics, those who look at politics – it’s called political science because it’s a science behind politics. You look at stats, you look at numbers, you look at trajectory, right?” Here, Bwala stresses that political success is measurable and based on evidence such as voting patterns, public support, and trends over time. Simply hoping or expecting a sudden surge in popularity without those indicators is unrealistic.
Bwala cited election results in Kaduna State to demonstrate el-Rufai’s declining popularity during his second term as governor. “In the second half of his term, when he was doing his second term, he was so unpopular that the APC lost three senate seats and a number of house of representatives, and the president lost the election there,” he said. These results show that under el-Rufai’s leadership, the ruling party APC struggled in key elections in Kaduna, which is often seen as his political stronghold. Even the sitting president’s loss in Kaduna reflected the lack of broad support for el-Rufai’s political influence.
He continued, “So, people won’t look at those. But political scientists, they look at those things as indices. And they know that this one is like Andrew Liver Salts. Even when he started, it was like that. Like he dropped Andrew Liver Salt, and then it calmed down. That’s what is happening. Nobody talks about him. Nobody looks for him.” Bwala’s metaphor here compares el-Rufai’s political impact to the fizz of an antacid tablet like Andrew Liver Salts—there might be an initial burst of activity, but it quickly fizzles out and disappears, indicating a lack of sustained influence or excitement.
Further, Bwala revealed that even within the coalition movement el-Rufai is trying to build, there are people urging him to return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which el-Rufai left in the past. “Even among the people who are talking about coalition now, he said he wants to move somewhere. They say, come back to PDP,” Bwala disclosed. This suggests a lack of unified support or direction within el-Rufai’s current political efforts.
Finally, Bwala defended President Bola Tinubu’s popularity, directly addressing and dismissing claims that the president lacks widespread support. “Now, the complaint they give, they will say the president is not popular. We went to Katsina with the president two weeks ago, roughly two weeks ago. From the airport to the city, people lined up,” he said. Bwala uses this real-life example of President Tinubu’s visit to Katsina State, a key political region, to demonstrate that the president enjoys strong grassroots support and enthusiasm among Nigerians, contradicting critics who claim otherwise.
