By our reporter
One of the founding fathers of ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and immediate past governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, on Tuesday, January 28, took aim at the party, slamming it for not even being a one-man show but “a zero-man show.”
The attack, one of several in recent months by party men, signals rising discontent within the party in government.
The former two-term governor (2015-2023) stated that he no longer recognizes the APC, saying none of the party’s organs had met in the last two years.
Almost two years ago, President Bola Tinubu,who belongs to the APC, was inaugurated as the nation’s leader.
The party’s National Chairman is Alhaji Umar Ganduje, immediate past governor of Kano State.
El-Rufai’s statement came after presidential candidate of opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, popularly called Atiku, alleged that the Tinubu government was giving some opposition parties’ leaders a princely N50million each to destabilize the nation’s democratic process.
An obviously disappointed El-Rufai said APC,as currently run, is derailing from its founding ideals and fostering poor leadership.
El-Rufai, who spoke while addressing a national conference on strengthening democracy in Nigeria in Abuja, disclosed his position on a post he shared on Tuesday, January 28, on his X handle.
Reviewing the state of governance and opposition in the country, El-Rufai dismissed both as a national emergency.
Lamenting the absence of internal democracy and active party structures in the ruling party, the former governor said: “I no longer recognise the APC. No party organ has met in two years—no caucus, no NEC, nothing. You don’t even know if it is a one-man show; it’s a zero-man show.”
Dismissing the quality of leadership in most of the nation’s political parties, El-Rufai heaped the blame for such on those he described as unqualified representatives.
His words: “You cannot afford to have illiterates, semi-illiterates, and cunning people as your leaders. This is why we end up with the poor leadership we have today.”
Making a case for better qualified persons for leadership, he canvassed the need for higher academic qualifications above the constitutionally-required secondary school level certification.
Dwelling further on how the current APC leadership is impacting governance by its men, he said the government had abandoned the party’s initial goals of combating corruption, rebuilding the economy, and enhancing security.
El-Rufai decried the low morale nationwide,saying a poll showed that 75 per cent of registered voters could abstain from voting in the 2027 general elections.
In a swift reaction, the Presidency grilled the former governor, asking him if he would have held same opinion had he successfully made it into President Tinubu’s cabinet.
Recall that El-Rufai’s ministerial nomination didn’t make it beyond the National Assembly. Issues of petitions, especially by the people of Southern Kaduna, security matters and others reportedly truncated the bid.
Reacting to El-Rufai’s tirade, Special Adviser on Public Communications and Media to the President, Daniel Bwala, wrote: “My Senior brother, if you were to be in the government and cabinet, would you have held and expressed the same position?History is replete with examples.
“It is a government you participated in its formation, that you now want to unseat. Haba Mallam.”
Further attack had come from Atiku.
Also speaking at the national conference on strengthening democracy, Atiku said: “I want to say it here publicly. I met with a political party leadership in the present opposition, and they told me flatly that this government gives them N50 million each.
“If we are not careful, we are talking to some of you here, but you are recipients of the N50 million from the APC government. Do we really want to fight for democracy?”
Bemoaning the erosion of democratic values, Atiku took aim at the present federal legislature, describing it as mere “rubber stamp” for the Tinubu government, even as he raised concerns about the credibility of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Alluding to shores where electoral umpires have credibility, Atiku pointed to Turkey, where her electoral czar refused to declare a president-elect who fell short of the required vote threshold.
The PDP flag bearer in the 2023 presidential election in Nigeria said the Turkish scenario should be a reference point of integrity for Nigeria to follow.
Atiku told opposition parties to unite or possibly sink democracy,ahead 2027.
He said: “If we don’t unite and take action, we may end up with no democracy at all; God forbid.”