Political gimmicks, antics, and realignments are beginning to manifest as Nigeria counts down to the 2027 general elections. A former governor of Kaduna State has signalled his departure from the All Progressives Congress by criticising the party’s affairs and President Bola Tinubu’s government on Monday.

In an interview yesterday, El-Rufai discussed the government and the APC’s affairs. He expressed disapproval of the party’s current leadership and structure, claiming that they are out of step with the original principles upon which the party was founded.

The former Governor of Kaduna State, a founding member of the APC and a key supporter of President Bola Tinubu’s candidature in the 2023 elections, did not mince words in openly talking about the fallout between him and the president, who he claimed rejected him from being a minister after nominating him before the National Assembly, despite begging him to be in his government.

It should be recalled that the president nominated El-Rufai as one of the potential ministers in his cabinet, but the National Assembly rejected the former Kaduna governor on security concerns. However, El-Rufai said, contrary to the general report, President Tinubu changed his mind because he did not want him for the reasons best known to him. He added that while the development did not affect him, the failure of the ruling party to be coordinated in the past two years has raised concerns with him and some party stakeholders.

“Since I left office and the president begged me publicly to come and serve in his government, I had my plans and told President begged me to support him, I said I would, but I don’t want anything because politics in Nigeria is always about what do I get for giving you support. ‘I’m not in politics for that reason. I’m not in politics to get anything. I have a surname, and I’m a self-made man. I’ve made money before coming into public office. I don’t need anything.

“After eight years in Kaduna, I was nearly burnt out. I was struggling for eight years and I wanted to take a break, and I had my private plans. “The President publicly appealed to me to put my plans on hold, and through two months of negotiations, we finally agreed that he would nominate me as minister, and there were certain conditions I attached to that. “I think along the line, either the President changed his mind or something else. Please don’t believe the story that the National Assembly rejected me. The National Assembly had nothing to do with this.

“The President didn’t want me in his cabinet. He changed his mind. Whatever it is, I don’t care, and I’ve moved on. “Since I’ve moved on, I’ve not said a word, I’ve not granted an interview, and I’ve not commented on the government, but it is within my right as a founding member of the All Progressives Congress to ask why the party isn’t functioning.” “I’m a founding member of the APC, and I am still a member of the APC. But I have concerns about how the party is being run and I’ve expressed those concern

“Two years after, the party organs are functioning, but the progressive ideals are not being pursued with any vigour.” APC Left Me Stranded… El-Rufai, in his interview, further criticised the APC for leaving him stranded politically by failing to align the programmes of the party with the government. He expressed his frustration with the party, stating that even when he had not concluded his decision to leave the party, the party had already abandoned him.

He, however, ruled out the possibility of defecting to the Peoples Democratic Party ahead of the 2027 elections, stating that while he might leave APC for another party, he would not join the PDP. ‘I’m not leaving the APC, the APC has left me, and I am stranded and I’m not planning to leave politics. Eventually, I may find another platform to pursue the progressive values that I believe in.

“Maybe, if APC corrects its way, some of us may have to look at it again. But, for now, many of us cannot recognise the party. “I don’t know where I will end up if the APC doesn’t come back to the basics. But, one thing I can tell for sure is that PDP is not a party I will go to.

“I thought about that long ago and I have made my decision. If anything, the PDP has gotten worse. Other parties, possibly, if the APC doesn’t sort itself.” “I don’t know what has gone wrong with the APC. All I know is that a political party functions well through internal democracy. But, in the past two years, the party has not met.

“There has been no conversation on the alignment of the government and the progressive programmes of the party. “I’m happy to learn through a grapevine source that the party is finally going to have a national caucus meeting and NEC meeting”.

Presidency Responds
Responding to the former governor of Kaduna, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, to President Tinuby, Bayo Onanuga, asked El-Rufai to move on and forget about his rejection as a minister in Tinubu’s cabinet. Mr Onanuga said while it is natural for the former governor to feel hurt, the President has recognised him as a key figure in his winning of the 2023 elections, he should be contented with the current development in the administration.

“It’s natural for him to feel hurt about being excluded, and the president acknowledged in his birthday message that Nasir helped a lot in installing Tinubu. It doesn’t mean he should bring down the roof if he’s not there.

As a person, I think I will pity the former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai. He feels hurt that he was not made a minister. It is time for him to move on. He can’t continue to behave like a child, as if somebody stole his bread and he is crying.

“It’s natural for him to feel hurt about being excluded, and the president acknowledged in his birthday message that Nasir helped a lot in installing Tinubu. It doesn’t mean he should bring down the roof if he’s not there.

“The president has no animosity against Nasir. HeNaturally hurt by his exclusion, he relentlessly campaigns against the president.

“He should forget about not being made a minister. He has been in public service since 1999; it’s time for him to move on.”