2027 Election: El-Rufai Says He Wanted APC to Retain Power

Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, a former governor of Kaduna State, has voiced reservations about the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the current administration, which is headed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
On Tuesday, El-Rufai stated in a long post on his official X handle that it is too soon to begin
discussing the general elections in 2027 as the current administration starts its second year in office.
But according to the APC chieftain, he feels compelled to speak because of the current circumstances in the ruling camp, where he belonged.

Under two years into our first term, the former governor stated: “It is actually premature to be talking about 2027 elections, but what
Political events are compelling me to address them because, as they say, “a stitch in time saves nine.”
“I naturally want my party to gain re-election in 2027 as an APC member. But, being a realist, I have my reservations.

“I remember writing that if the party wasn’t careful, it may go the way of the PDP, which lost power after 16 years, during the 2019 party primaries after observing how our party was conducting the process.

Then, like the PDP, I projected that we might lose federal power by 2031 if we didn’t revert to our pledged progressive course and philosophy and instead continued to be fixated on winning elections at all costs.

It never occurred to me that Tinubu would put us in this predicament.
Regarding the events in the APC and the nation as a whole, El-Rufai went on to say that he never anticipated things to go that way.

“When I wrote that, we weren’t facing the current situation that we are facing,” he wrote. As President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was in office, I did not anticipate that we would find ourselves in this predicament so quickly.

Please take note that I am not referring to the current state of the economy or anything equivalent. What I mean is the present and growing “ghaghagha” among members of the APC and those who support the PBAT administration, as well as within our party.

Interestingly, a lot of Nigerians have short memories. Please allow me to balance the recollections of some brief and naïve political novices.

As the 2023 presidential election drew near, many will remember my fervent warning that we must exercise prudence and refrain from playing with the North due to the actions of certain individuals. Common reason got the better of us somehow, and we were unquestionably successful with the incalculable assistance of the North (the
records of the election outcomes attest to this.

We are seeing how, less than two years into his term, the North-President Bola Tinubu relationship—or rather, his administration—is rapidly deteriorating due to the words and actions of, regrettably, many members of the president’s tribe and geopolitical zone. Be honest.

“I’ve heard and read the haughty bluster and conceit of some individuals, whom I call political rabble-rousers, but I’m growing increasingly concerned every day as it continues to resemble a previously seen film.”

“I would like to remind some people that President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s administration’s performance—or lack thereof—was second only to his and his supporters’ attitude toward the North, which ultimately brought him down and, consequently, the PDP, which had declared it would rule Nigeria for 60 years.

Despite General Muhammadu Buhari Rtd’s popularity and the assembly of political heavyweights under the then-newly formed APC, one major factor that contributed to the defeat of former President Jonathan and the PDP in the 2015 presidential election was the underestimation of the North and the insults and disrespects directed towards it. This was especially the case under the then-first lady and was emphasized by elements from the South South geopolitical zone, especially his Ijaw kinsmen, many of whom had little to no political clout and were living full-time in the NICON and Sheraton hotels in Abuja at the time (with newly discovered free money).

Read Also: 1,000 PDP Groups Throw Weight Behind Senator Anyanwu As National Secretary

Ironically, many of these people had little to no influence over Jonathan’s win in 2011.

In his post titled “SOUTH WEST, TINUBU’S SUPPORTERS PLAYING WITH FIRE,” El-Rufai added, “Many of them actually forgot that it was the agitation by groups like the Save Nigeria Group (SNG), led by people like Pastor Tunde Bakare, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, Mr. Yinka Odumakin (RIP), and co. that ultimately led to then-VP Goodluck Jonathan becoming the acting President in the first place after the incapacitation of former President Shehu Musa Yaradua (God rest his soul).”