Former Kaduna State Governor and ex–Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nasir El-Rufai, has dismissed reports alleging that he endorsed a particular region of the country to produce Nigeria’s president in the 2027 general election.

El-Rufai described the report as false, misleading and a product of fake news, insisting that he never made such comments in any public forum.

In a statement titled “Fake Comment on 2027”, dated December 15, 2025, and shared on his verified social media platforms on Monday, the former governor said his attention was drawn to a viral report wrongly attributing comments to him.

He stated: “This is an untrue claim, despite its virality. I did not say so in any of my speeches, interviews or social media posts.”

El-Rufai stressed that he communicates his personal views only through platforms directly linked to him and warned the public and media organisations against attributing statements to him from unverifiable sources.

According to him, opinions should not be credited to him unless they are clearly and explicitly expressed by him through recognised channels.

“I wish to reiterate that no views may be attributable to me unless those I explicitly express on my social media platforms or during interviews with respected media organisations,” he said.

He also cautioned against attributing to him opinion articles written by other authors, even when such articles are shared on his platforms as part of broader national discourse.

El-Rufai said the clarification became necessary in view of what he described as growing political recklessness and the deliberate spread of misinformation on social media.

“These caveats are crucial as we confront both irresponsible politicking and the deliberate misuse of social media for spreading fake news,” he added.

The former governor further faulted some media professionals for failing to verify information before publication, warning that such lapses erode public trust and weaken the media’s credibility.

“In this instance, a few senior editors seem to have ignored this duty,” he said, adding that society suffers when media leaders align with irresponsible actors on social media.

He urged journalists and the public to uphold responsibility and professionalism in political reporting and public discourse.