El-Rufai fumes over report on zoning of 2027 presidency
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"Society loses if media leaders join the most irresponsible actors on social media in the unedifying olympics of fiction and fakery. Everyone should live up to their responsibility," El-Rufai said.
By Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja
Former Kaduna governor, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, has denied reports that he said the Northern part of the country should produce Nigeria’s president in the 2027 general election.
El-Rufai, a chieftain of opposition African Democratic Congress, ADC denied making the claim in a statement he released on his social media handle on Monday.
The former governor who was a former member of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, said he never indicated which region of the country should produce Nigeria’s next president in any of speeches, interviews or social media posts.
El-Rufai accused editors who published the news without verifying of ignoring their duty.
“Society loses if media leaders join the most irresponsible actors on social media in the unedifying olympics of fiction and fakery. Everyone should live up to their responsibility,” El-Rufai said.
See his full statement below
My attention has been drawn to a trending fake news item alleging that I specified which region of the country should produce the president in 2027.
This is an untrue claim, despite its virality. I did not say so in any of my speeches, interviews or social media posts. I have my own verifiable platforms on social media where I speak my mind and own my opinions.
I wish to reiterate that no views may be attributable to me unless those I explicitly express on my social media platforms or during interviews with respected media platforms. It is also wrong and improper to attribute to me opinion articles from other authors which I may post on my handles as a contribution to the national conversation. These caveats are crucial as we confront both irresponsible politicking and the deliberate misuse of social media for spreading fake news.
The wilful attribution to me of claims I did not make by a fake news platform is no excuse to treat such platforms with any seriousness. In this age of turmoil and falsehood, the always important obligation to verify before posting has become ever more crucial. In this instance, a few senior editors seem to have ignored this duty. Society loses if media leaders join the most irresponsible actors on social media in the unedifying olympics of fiction and fakery. Everyone should live up to their responsibility.
Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai
15th December 2025
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