Why I Can No Longer Recognize APC – El-Rufai

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria Wednesday, January 29th, 2025

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The immediate past governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has slammed the ruling partly, All Progressives Congress, APC, as he accused them of going astray from its founding ideals and toeing the line of terrible leadership.

El-Rufai, while speaking in a national conference in Abuja on strengthening democracy in the country, stated that the state of governance and opposition in Nigeria calls for an emergency.

Sharing the report on his X handle on Tuesday, the former FCT minister raised concern about the absence of internal democracy and active party structures in the APC.

“I no longer recognise 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 said.

He slammed the quality of leadership coming from political parties as he blamed the situation on unqualified delegates.

“You cannot afford to have illiterates, semi-illiterates, and cunning people as your leaders. This is why we end up with the poor leadership we have today,” he added.

He used the opportunity to enjoin political parties to raise standards for candidates and delegates, as he stated that the constitution’s minimum requirement of a secondary school certificate should not be enough for nominations.

According to El-Rufia, the APC’s founding goals of fighting corruption, rebuilding the economy, and promoting security have been jettisoned.

Making reference to a poll that stated that 75 percent of registered voters might stay clear from the 2027 elections, El-Rufai cautioned of a potential crisis.

Reacting to El-Rufai’s post, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Public Communications and Media, Daniel Bwala, asked the former governor’s stance, if he would have held the same opinion if he had remained in government.

“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,” Bwala writes.