Alhaji Muktar Isa‑Hazo, a former deputy speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, told Leadership on Friday that the political split between former governor Nasir El‑Rufai and his allies occurred only after El‑Rufai joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and that no associate has abandoned the ex‑governor.
Isa‑Hazo, who represented the Basawa State Constituency and describes himself as a “staunch ally” of El‑Rufai, said he remains an associate but will differ politically ahead of the 2027 general elections. “I am still an associate of the ex‑governor, but we differ politically ahead of the 2027 general elections,” he said.
Responding to El‑Rufai’s claim that some friends and associates had deserted him or remained silent during his trial, Isa‑Hazo rejected the allegation and placed blame on members of the former governor’s family for allegedly misleading him while he was in detention.
“Nobody abandoned former governor Nasir El‑Rufai, and when it mattered, the people he needed most were with him,” Isa‑Hazo asserted.
The former deputy speaker added that a number of individuals have been exploiting El‑Rufai’s situation, using his name to advance personal ambitions while holding different political alignments. He noted that some of El‑Rufai’s former allies have returned to the All Progressives Congress (APC), and that those who truly care for the ex‑governor view this shift as a poor strategic move.
Isa‑Hazo argued that El‑Rufai’s detention limited his access to information outside the facility, leaving him to rely on a narrow circle of close contacts. “He has never once called them and said, ‘This is where my direction is.’ Each and every person follows his own mind and thinks about what is right for him to do,” he said, suggesting the former governor has not provided explicit political guidance to his supporters.
In summary, Isa‑Hazo maintained that while political loyalties have realigned, El‑Rufai has not been abandoned; rather, his associates are now pursuing individual political choices within Nigeria’s broader partisan landscape, where the APC and ADC remain the main opposition and ruling parties respectively.
<small>Source: Daily Post Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
