Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, the immediate past governor of Kaduna State, is prepared to challenge President Bola Tinubu in at least two courts.

The struggle is expected to take place in the courts of the land, where El-Rufai hopes to clear his name of the accusation of being a security danger, as well as in the court of public opinion, where political players expect him to be a significant impediment to the president's re-election in 2027.

The former governor's public humiliation by the Tinubu government as a security danger unfit for ministerial office has set the ground for the next struggle, according to both allies and adversaries.

Mallam, as he is affectionately called to by his close allies, has enthralled the political establishment with his gyrations around the North during the previous two weeks.

Aside from two public meetings with Social Democratic Party (SDP) officials, the former governor solidified his relationship with the political opposition by paying a visit to Senator Abdul Ningi, the suspended legislator representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District.

The predisposition towards the opposition stems from what both friends and foes perceive as the former governor's public humiliation.

El-Rufai according to multiple sources despite his immense contributions both strategically and financially to the emergence of Tinubu as president had pledged not to serve in the new government.

The former governor had reportedly preferred a sabbatical in academia.

He was, however, courted by the president with a plea to help revive the energy sector. Even before his ministerial announcement, El-Rufai it was gathered had started laying down plans and processes to tackle the sector. His preparation flowed from his years as director-general of the Bureau for Public Enterprises, where he was involved in the energy reform programmes of the Olusegun Obasanjo administration.

However, to the shock of all El-Rufai was dropped during the Senate ministerial screening on the claim that he failed security clearance.

Several political players were taken aback by his failure to obtain a security clearance, given his key role in convincing Northern governors to support Tinubu ahead of the All Progressives Congress, APC convention. Furthermore, it was discovered that the former governor played crucial roles in enabling the election of the president in the Southwest states not held by the APC.

According to an anonymous senior government official from one of the Southwest states, "He played a key role in funding us in my state and I can tell this because I was personally involved,"
Aside from the significant contribution attested to by the Southwest State official, El-Rufai shocked many in the waning days of the Muhammadu Buhari administration with his decision to challenge the Federal Government over the naira redesign project.

El-Rufai defended his opposition to the Buhari government's naira redesign strategy, claiming it was intended to incite politics against the APC by individuals close to the former president who failed to prevent Tinubu from receiving the presidential ticket.
“They also sought to achieve any one or more of the following objectives: create a nationwide shortage of cash so that citizens are incited to vote against APC candidates across the board resulting in massive losses for the Party in all the elections.”

However, despite his stellar role in helping Tinubu to power, a source close to El-Rufai disclosed that the camp of the former governor believed that it was wrong for him to have been so publicly humiliated and to have been tagged a security risk.

One of the confidants of the former governor told Saturday Vanguard:

“You think Mallam will allow this tag to abide on him? I can assure you that he is going to clear his name in court.
El-Rufai is a man who has many contacts internationally and he is not one to allow his reputation to be smeared by the reason given by the Senate of being a security risk,” the source said in revealing the prospects of court action to enable the former governor to clear his name.

Besides the resort to the court of law, the former governor it was gathered is also mobilising to play a role against Tinubu in the court of public opinion ahead of 2027.

It is unclear if El-Rufai would run as a candidate or mobilise against the president in 2027 in the same manner that he supported him in 2023.

Saturday According to Vanguard, El-Rufai's purposeful facilitation of Tinubu occurred after he had lampooned Tinubu as a godfather. At a seminar in May 2019, he said that it was feasible to overcome Lagos' godfather.

A year later, at a webcast commemorating Rauf Aregbesola's 63rd birthday in May 2020, El-Rufai stated that Tinubu was not his guy.

While celebrating Aregbesola, El-Rufai stated, "I want to congratulate my brother, Ogbeni (Aregbesola) on his birthday. You know I am your man any day. I am not Asiwaju's man, and you are Asiwaju's man, but I would be your man any day. Asiwaju and I have differences, but you and I don't."