Bashir El-Rufai has once again stirred controversy by criticizing Nigeria’s political structure and mocking President Bola Tinubu with the nickname “Escobar,” a veiled reference to the late Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar.
The nickname, used by some of Tinubu’s critics, stems from a 1990s U.S. case in which Tinubu forfeited $460,000 to the government in connection with a drug trafficking investigation. Though he was never convicted, the incident has fueled lingering allegations and political attacks.
In a post on X monitored by The News Chronicle on Tuesday night, El-Rufai stated that Nigeria’s unity is no longer sustainable, insisting that regional autonomy is the only viable solution to end the persistent blame game among the country’s regions.
“Regional autonomy can easily solve this situation of blame games. It is crucial as all citizens of said regions would be cognisant of who they can directly hold responsible for their woes,” he wrote.
He dismissed the concept of “One Nigeria” as vague and unrealistic, saying: “I don’t believe in this esoteric concept of ‘One Nigeria’. Escobar & I can agree on that.”
His comments echo a stance reportedly taken by Tinubu himself in a 1997 ThisDay report, where he was quoted as saying: “I don’t believe in One Nigeria.”
This is not the first time El-Rufai has mocked the president. In February 2025, he warned that Tinubu whom he again likened to Escobar would be making “the biggest mistake” if he attempted to arrest his father, former Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai.
In July 2024, El-Rufai also ridiculed Tinubu and his wife, Remi Tinubu, while praising Labour Party’s Peter Obi as the opposition’s best chance in the 2027 elections.
He predicted that Obi, paired with a strong northern candidate, would defeat Tinubu “before Aunty Remi finishes preparing breakfast.”
El-Rufai further described former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as “a force to be reckoned with,” but argued that Obi’s mass youth support and cult-like following could tilt the balance in his favor.
