Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, has voiced serious worries about the All Progressives Congress’s (APC) current situation.
He disclosed that the APC has abandoned its core values and has abandoned him.
El-Rufai stated in an interview on Arise TV on Tuesday that although he is still politically active, he no longer acknowledges the party he helped found.
“I stated that the APC is my party—I founded it,” he emphasized, not that he had no plans to leave the party.
However, I didn’t quit the APC; they left me. This party was founded on a set of principles, but it has since strayed from them. I feel stuck.
El-Rufai blasted the party for failing to maintain internal democracy, pointing out that important decision-making groups like the National Executive Committee (NEC) and the National Caucus had not met in more than two years.
At their meetings, the party’s organs give the government input on how well its policies are matching the party’s platform. That’s what these sessions are about. The NEC has not met for the past two years, despite the APC constitution’s need that it do so at least once every quarter,” he bemoaned.
The former minister disclosed that he had asked former APC national chairman Chief Bisi Akande, Adams Oshiomhole, John Odigie-Oyegun, and Abdullahi Adamu for clarification, but none of them were able to provide an explanation for the party’s current situation.
In addition to seeing Baba Akande, Oshiomhole, and Oyegun, I also traveled to Keffi yesterday to see Abdullahi Adamu. I posed the same query to them: “What is going on with our party?” However, since the party hasn’t met in two years, no one has answers. No talks have taken place,” El-Rufai revealed.
The former governor maintained that he was not prepared to leave politics, despite his reservations.
“I will always be involved in politics, but it doesn’t imply I’ll continue running for office. In order to have better candidates and governors, I think I can have an impact on what happens in our party,” he stated.
However, El-Rufai would not rule out running for office on a different platform in the event that the APC does not return to its original principles.
“I might eventually need to look for another platform to pursue those progressive values if I can’t find them in the APC. However, I continue to hope that the party will change its direction,” he said.
El-Rufai stated that he anticipates the leadership of the APC to consider the reasons behind the party’s departure from its fundamental ideals as it gets ready to host a National Caucus and NEC meeting.