Why I apologised for criticising Goodluck Jonathan -Bello El-Rufai

Bello El-Rufai, a federal lawmaker and son of former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, has acknowledged that his earlier criticisms of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan stemmed from a place of inexperience.

Representing Kaduna North Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, El-Rufai confessed that his younger self lacked the maturity to appreciate the complexities of leadership during Jonathan’s time in office.

His change in perspective came after a conversation with his father, who he discovered was heading to meet the former president for political discussions.

“I visited my father after I became a member and I saw him wearing a polo shirt and I said ‘where are you going?’ 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.

“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 said.

El-Rufai went on to praise Jonathan’s statesmanship, especially for conceding defeat in the 2015 presidential election—an act he described as rare 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,” he added.

Speaking on electoral processes, the All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmaker welcomed ongoing reforms, including the electronic transmission of results. However, he expressed strong opposition to any proposed amendment that would permit voting without a voter’s card.