Nasir El-Rufai, the immediate past governor of Kaduna State, has criticized the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for poor leadership and abandoning its founding principles. El-Rufai made these comments at a national conference in Abuja on strengthening democracy in Nigeria, describing the current state of governance and opposition in the country as a “national emergency”.
The former governor expressed disappointment that the APC, which was originally founded to tackle corruption, rebuild the economy, and improve security, has strayed from these objectives. “The problems that led to the creation of the APC remain unresolved, but I no longer believe the APC is interested in addressing them. The distance between me and the party is widening,” he said.
El-Rufai also lamented the lack of internal democracy and active party structures within the APC. “I no longer recognize the APC. No party organ has met in two years—no caucus, no NEC, nothing. You don’t even know if it is a one-man show; it’s a zero-man show,” he stated.
The APC chieftain urged opposition parties to unite and form a broad coalition to challenge the ruling party and protect democracy. He alleged that the crises within the opposition parties were being orchestrated by sponsored mercenaries. “There are internal mercenaries in the PDP, hired and motivated to destroy the party. The Labour Party is also facing similar issues,” he claimed.
El-Rufai cited a conversation with Peter Obi, who reportedly expressed concern about the Labour Party’s internal challenges. “Peter Obi himself told me, ‘I don’t know what’s happening in the party I contested with.’ There seems to be a deliberate project to destroy opposition parties. This is dangerous,” he warned.
The former governor emphasized the need for political parties to raise their standards for candidates and delegates. He suggested that the constitution’s minimum requirement of a secondary school certificate should not be sufficient for party nominations.
El-Rufai’s comments have sparked a reaction from the Presidency, with the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communications, Daniel Bwala, expressing disappointment. Bwala questioned whether El-Rufai would have held the same position if he had been in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet.
Bwala tweeted, “My Senior brother, if you were to be in the government and cabinet, would you have held and expressed the same position? History is replete with examples. It is a government you participated in its formation, that you now want to unseat. Haba Mallam, a Ji soron Allah mana”.
The development has highlighted the growing tensions within the APC and the need for opposition parties to unite ahead of the 2027 election. El-Rufai’s comments have sparked a national conversation about the state of governance and opposition in Nigeria.
