Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has revealed that he previously approached key figures in the All Progressives Congress (APC)—including Senator Adams Oshiomhole, Bisi Akande, and Abdullahi Adamu—to express concerns about the party straying from its founding ideals.

El-Rufai, who recently defected to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), said he became disillusioned with the APC due to its lack of internal democracy and the failure of its leadership organs to meet for two years.

Speaking in an interview with Deutsche Welle Hausa in Katsina, El-Rufai recounted his meeting with the party chieftains: “I asked them if this was what we envisioned when we formed and registered the party, and they admitted that things had changed.”

He explained that after trying to persuade party leaders to return to the original principles of the APC and being ignored, he concluded it was time to leave.

El-Rufai emphasized that the party’s refusal to hold meetings for two years was a clear sign of the abandonment of democratic practices and collective leadership.

“That’s why I say the party left me. I had to find another party that aligns with the ideals we originally held when 37 of us came together to form the APC. I was one of the founders,” he said.

Using a metaphor, he added: “Even if a child you raised goes astray and refuses to change despite your efforts, you eventually have to let go. I have washed my hands of the APC and moved on.”