Minister of Defence Christopher Musa has said Nigeria could have faced a different situation if former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai was still around.

Musa accused El-Rufai of promoting division, saying the country does not need politicians who exploit differences among Nigerians.

The minister spoke while fielding questions on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Thursday.

He also described President Bola Tinubu as a leader passionate about the development and progress of Nigeria.

According to Musa, his interactions with the President have shown him that Tinubu genuinely wants the country to move forward.

“Tinubu loves this country. I mean, what we see and we discuss with him, you could see somebody who has a passion for Nigeria, who wants Nigeria to change and things to move forward,” he said.

“So that’s where we are looking at. We don’t want people that will come in and start dividing this.

“And I can tell you, I am not a prophet. If probably El-Rufai had been around, a lot of things would have gone different because he loves that divide and rule. And that’s the issue.”

Musa said politicians who promote division should have no place in Nigeria’s future, urging citizens to focus on issues that would promote national unity and development.

“We shouldn’t have politicians that play that kind of game. Maybe in the past, this is a new Nigeria. We’re trying to move forward.

“Let us forget about all these aspects and think as Nigerians what makes Nigeria tick. That’s what everybody should work for,” he added.