Bello El-Rufai, son of the former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, sent an apology to President Goodluck Jonathan during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday.
Bello El-Rufai, member of the House of Representatives representing Kaduna North Federal Constituency, publicly apologised for his past criticisms of Jonathan’s administration, acknowledging that his previous views due to his youthful inexperience.
He said he had come to a new understanding of Jonathan’s leadership after observing his father’s recent efforts to consult with the former president.
“And he said he was going to see President Jonathan, and I paused because when I was naive or when I thought ego or gratification mattered, I used to be very active in criticising President Jonathan,” El-Rufai said.
“I even forgot in my naivety, as many young people do, that we had governance then. And I found my father saying that he is going to consult President
Jonathan. I said, ‘please when you see him, tell him I am very sorry, I am wiser now’,” he added.
He praised Jonathan for conceding defeat in the 2015 presidential election, describing it as a rare act of statesmanship in African politics.
“The system is a problem. Now, why did I mention President Jonathan? It takes a lot, particularly in Africa, to lose an election and leave—he did that,” El-Rufai said.
Bello’s father, Nasir El-Rufai, a former minister and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was an active member of the political coalition that moved against Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2015 general elections, which led to his defeat to ex-President Buhari.
