Former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasiru Ahmad El-Rufai, has revealed that he sought the permission of former President Muhammadu Buhari before leaving the All Progressives Congress (APC) to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa Service on Thursday, El-Rufai expressed his disillusionment with the APC, stating that the party has strayed from its founding principles.
“The APC has derailed. The party is no longer abiding by its founding principles. Everyone is working for themselves, looking for money. The government has been commercialized; everything has a price tag. Justice has been ignored, and those who worked for the party were sidelined instead of being rewarded. Positions and appointments are given to ‘Lagos boys,’” he said.
El-Rufai emphasized that he informed both Pastor Tunde Bakare, who initially brought him into the APC, and Buhari about his decision to leave the party. “I told Buhari I was leaving the party and sought his blessings and prayers. He gave me his blessings and prayers. We are the ones in politics; he is now the father of the land and has been praying for us,” he added.
When asked if he left the APC to avoid expulsion, El-Rufai dismissed the notion, stating that being expelled would have been easier for him. “I did not leave the party; the party dumped me. I was marginalized, not involved in party activities, and completely sidelined. What we had planned to implement when we formed the government is not what’s being implemented,” he alleged.
Addressing speculation that he left the APC because he was not considered for a ministerial appointment, El-Rufai denied seeking such a position. “Did I even look for a ministerial position? I know those who paid money to be appointed as ministers,” he claimed.
El-Rufai also recounted how President Tinubu had personally appealed to him to take up a role in addressing Nigeria’s power sector challenges. “The President begged me to come and work with him. It was in Kaduna where he publicly begged me to help resolve the power problem. I told him I would consider the challenge he gave me,” he said.
El-Rufai’s remarks highlight his growing dissatisfaction with the APC and his belief that the party has lost its way, prioritizing personal gain over its original mission. His decision to join the SDP marks a significant shift in Nigeria’s political landscape.
