Speaking in Kaduna on Saturday, September 20, 2025, during a solidarity visit from former vice-president Atiku Abubakar, el-Rufai compared Tinubu to Paul Biya, Cameroon’s president who has ruled for more than four decades. “The sum total of this is that we are facing an evil of such a large proportion in the history of this country that if we don’t come together and end this Tinubu administration by 2027, Tinubu will try to be our Paul Biya. All the signs are there, this is how Paul Biya started,” el-Rufai said. El-Rufai urged Atiku, who contested against Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election, to take a leading role in galvanising opposition forces ahead of 2027. The remarks came after el-Rufai alleged he was targeted by “APC-sponsored thugs” during the inauguration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Kaduna recently.