Ahead of the general elections in 2027, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has charged Nasir El-Rufai, the immediate previous governor of Kaduna State, with inflaming ethnic tensions and conspiring to unseat President Bola Tinubu.
The charge was made on Sunday by Ajibola Basiru, the national secretary of the APC, who said that El-Rufai’s actions were motivated by his annoyance at not being appointed as a minister in Tinubu’s government.
On security grounds, the National Assembly rejected El-Rufai, a former minister of the Federal Capital Territory, notwithstanding his initial nomination for a cabinet seat.
Since then, the former governor has apparently been meeting with important northern political personalities, including opposition leaders, and his relationship with President Tinubu has deteriorated.
Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) 2023 presidential contender and former vice president, has spoken with El-Rufai in recent weeks.
In anticipation of the upcoming election cycle, his developing relationship with Atiku has stoked rumors of a potential political realignment.
El-Rufai went with Atiku’s group last Friday to pay their respects to the family of Chief Edwin Clark, a prominent Niger Delta leader and elder statesman. During the visit, El-Rufai spoke and commended Atiku’s role in the economic changes that were implemented in Nigeria under Olusegun Obasanjo.
The former governor and Atiku joined in the Juma’at prayer after the visit, which strengthened rumors of their developing political partnership.
El-Rufai held a meeting with the PDP’s Kaduna State executive committee on Saturday, stepping up his interactions with the opposition.
In the run-up to 2027, the closed-door meeting, which was attended by his former chief of staff, Bashir Saidu, has stoked discussions about possible bipartisan collaboration.
Speaking about El-Rufai’s political maneuvers, APC National Secretary Basiru stated that the party has stopped following him since learning that he is “an overrated ethnic champion” who is constantly willing to put northern politicians against their southern counterparts.
The party writer blasted El-Rufai for his recent friendship with leading opposition individuals and his ongoing role as the North’s spokesperson.
We are worried about our issues in the APC, as I have stated previously and will do again,” he remarked. In Nigeria, parties have free access and free departure. Therefore, anyone who wishes to leave is free to do so. For present, however, we will not honor such actions with any remarks.
We recognize that certain individuals are motivated by sectional politics. El-Rufai, regrettably, is promoting the ethnic nationality agenda rather than considering the advancement of the nation. He has always been overrated as a person, as evidenced by this South against North stance.
Basiru pointed to El-Rufai’s complaint when he said, “The only thing we want to say is that governance is a serious matter and nobody has the birthright to be an appointee of government.” Many of the more than 180 million Nigerians who live there are eligible. So, you shouldn’t run around trying to become an emergency activist just because you don’t have the chance to serve in a government. As previously stated, politics is a free-for-all. The APC is strong, and we are moving forward.
In light of the escalating hostilities, El-Rufai has publicly attacked the APC, claiming that the party lacks internal democracy.
