Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has ruled out contesting any elective office in the 2027 general elections. El-Rufai made this known in Kaduna on Wednesday while welcoming a group of youths who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the African Democratic Congress (ADC). He stressed that his renewed political involvement is not motivated by personal ambition but by a desire to support the emergence of credible leadership across the country.
The former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory explained that his original plan after leaving office in 2023 was to withdraw from partisan politics. However, unfolding national events, he said, had compelled him to return, not as a contestant, but as a mentor for young people, women, and reform-minded Nigerians who are passionate about governance.
“I am not contesting for anything. I don’t want to go to the Senate, and I am not seeking any political position,” he said. El-Rufai also criticized the current administration, accusing it of misleading Nigerians and insisting that citizens must rise to demand better leadership.
He used the occasion to encourage greater youth participation in politics, urging Nigerians to take advantage of the ongoing voter registration exercise. According to him, Kaduna State is lagging in new registrations, with only about 60,000 people registered compared to over 600,000 in states like Lagos and Osun. He stressed that wider participation was crucial if young people were to influence the country’s political direction.
El-Rufai concluded that his focus going forward would be on mentoring and mobilizing citizens rather than seeking political office, reiterating that his priority is to help build a new generation of leaders who can bring about genuine reform in Nigeria.
