The immediate former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has been charged by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) with inflaming ethnic tensions and conspiring to unseat President Bola Tinubu in the run-up to the general elections in 2027.
El-Rufai’s actions were allegedly motivated by his dissatisfaction at not being appointed as a minister in Tinubu’s cabinet, according to the claim made on Sunday by Ajibola Basiru, the national secretary of the APC.
Former Federal Capital Territory minister El-Rufai was first put forward for a cabinet post but was turned down by the National Assembly due to security concerns.
The former governor has apparently been meeting with important northern political personalities, including opposition leaders, since then, indicating that his relationship with President Tinubu has soured.
In recent weeks, El-Rufai has been in talks with Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) 2023 presidential candidate and former vice president.
As he and Atiku become closer, rumors of a potential political realignment before the next election cycle have grown.
During a condolence visit to the family of Niger Delta leader and elder statesman Chief Edwin Clark last Friday, El-Rufai accompanied Atiku’s entourage. In his remarks during the visit, El-Rufai commended Atiku for his role in the economic reforms implemented in Nigeria under Olusegun Obasanjo.
Atiku and the former governor celebrated the Juma’at prayer together after the visit, which strengthened rumors of their developing political partnership.
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Meeting with the PDP’s Kaduna State executive committee on Saturday allowed El-Rufai to step up his interactions with the opposition.
Discussions on possible bipartisan cooperation in the run-up to 2027 have been stoked by the private meeting, which was attended by his former Chief of Staff, Bashir Saidu.
Speaking about El-Rufai’s political efforts, APC National Secretary Basiru stated that the party no longer follows his actions after learning that he is “an overrated ethnic champion” who is constantly willing to push politicians from the north against those from the south.
El-Rufai’s recent friendship with leading opposition members and his ongoing role as the North’s spokesperson were criticized by the party scribe.
We are concerned about our problems in the APC, as I have stated previously and will reiterate. In Nigeria, parties are allowed to enter and leave at any time. Therefore, if someone wants to leave, they can. But for the time being, we won’t commend such actions with any remarks.
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We recognize the power of sectional politics to influence certain individuals. Unfortunately, El-Rufai is encouraging the ethnic nationality agenda rather than considering the country’s progress. He has been overrated as a person all along, as evidenced by this South vs North posture.
In reference to El-Rufai’s complaint, Basiru wrote, “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.” Over 180 million Nigerians are eligible, and many of them are among them. It is not necessary to run around attempting to become an emergency activist if you are not given the chance to serve in a government. As I’ve stated previously, politics is a free-for-all. We are moving forward with the APC, which is strong.
El-Rufai has publicly criticized the APC amid the escalating tensions, claiming that the party lacks internal democracy for this reason.
