KADUNA — Amid growing speculation surrounding former Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s political realignment, a prominent All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Kaduna State, Bashir Jamoh, has declared that the party has not severed ties with the ex-governor.
Speaking to journalists in Kaduna on Thursday, Jamoh — a former Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) — stated that El-Rufai remains a “card-carrying member” of the APC and continues to play a strategic advisory role within the party.
“We are yet to reach the point where we will say farewell to Mallam Nasir El-Rufai. Forget about the politics,” Jamoh said.
His comments come in the wake of El-Rufai’s recent alignment with the opposition coalition that adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC), after briefly associating with the Social Democratic Party (SDP). El-Rufai had earlier distanced himself from the APC, citing a lack of internal democracy under President Bola Tinubu’s leadership.
Despite this, Jamoh maintained that El-Rufai’s loyalty to the APC remains intact — at least in Kaduna.
“When we need his advice, we consult him, and he offers his contributions free of charge,” Jamoh revealed. “You cannot disown your child of eight years. He was governor for eight years under the APC.”
He further emphasized El-Rufai’s long-standing influence in shaping the party: “Even when he was in the PDP and later the CPC, which merged into the APC, he contributed to the building of this party.”
Jamoh’s statement is seen as a strategic attempt to retain El-Rufai’s political capital within the party fold, especially as realignments continue ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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