Nasir El-Rufai

Biography

Nasir El-Rufai has been a privatisation chief, the FCT minister who reshaped Abuja, and a two-term governor of Kaduna State. Once a key ally of Tinubu, he became one of his fiercest critics — and in 2026 found himself fighting corruption charges, which he calls political persecution.

Career history

1. 1982

   In 1982 he founded a quantity surveying consultancy, El-Rufai & Partners, and also worked with international technology companies.

2. 1998

   In 1998 he served as an economic adviser to the military head of state, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, during the transition to democracy.

3. 2007

   After 2007 he spent time abroad amid disputes with the new PDP government, then returned and joined Muhammadu Buhari’s CPC in 2011.

4. 2013

   His 2013 memoir, The Accidental Public Servant, became a bestseller for its frank account of power in Abuja.

5. 2015

   Elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019, El-Rufai pursued bold and controversial reforms:

6. 2023

   Tinubu nominated him as a minister in July 2023, but the Senate did not confirm him after it received an unfavourable security report.

7. 2025

   In March 2025 El-Rufai left the APC for the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and later aligned with the opposition coalition in the ADC.

8. 2026

   In February 2026 he was detained by the EFCC and then by the ICPC over allegations linked to his time as governor.

Quick facts