Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, has voiced his growing disillusionment with the All Progressives Congress (APC), a party he helped establish. Speaking at a national conference on strengthening democracy in Abuja on Monday, el-Rufai criticized the APC leadership for deviating from its founding principles and fostering ineffective governance.
El-Rufai, a key figure in the APC, expressed frustration over the party’s lack of internal cohesion, accusing its leadership of running the party as a “one-man show.” He revealed that no party organs, such as the National Executive Committee (NEC) or caucuses, had met in the past two years. “I am a founding member of the APC, but frankly, I no longer recognize the party,” el-Rufai stated. “No party organ has met in two years—no caucus, no NEC, nothing. I don’t even know if it’s a one-man show. It’s a zero-man show.”
The former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) further lamented that the party had strayed from its original mission of fighting corruption, revitalizing the economy, and restoring security in Nigeria. “Although I’m a founding member, the party has left me behind,” he continued. “We wanted to build a progressive party, but where is the APC now? I no longer recognize it.”
El-Rufai also expressed concern over the state of leadership within the country, criticizing the quality of leaders in both the ruling and opposition parties. “You cannot have illiterates, semi-illiterates, and manipulative people as leaders. That’s why we end up with the poor leadership we have today,” he remarked.
Despite acknowledging the ongoing challenges facing Nigeria, including the economy, security, and corruption, el-Rufai conveyed his belief that the APC was no longer committed to addressing these critical issues. “The distance between me and the party is widening,” he added.
El-Rufai also called for greater unity among opposition parties to hold the APC accountable, suggesting that internal struggles within opposition parties were contributing to their weakening. He pointed to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party, stating that mercenaries were undermining their efforts. He also cited a conversation with Peter Obi, where the Labour Party presidential candidate admitted uncertainty about the state of his party.
In his remarks, el-Rufai emphasized the need for a united opposition to provide a meaningful challenge to the ruling party and address the nation’s pressing issues.
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