By Dansu Peter Former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has reiterated his stance on Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress...
By Dansu Peter
Former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has reiterated his stance on Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), stating that he never sought a position in President Bola Tinubu’s administration and remains steadfast in his criticism of the party’s governance approach.
Speaking at a national conference on strengthening democracy in Nigeria held in Abuja on Monday, El-Rufai decried what he described as the APC’s departure from its founding principles. He asserted that the party had become a "one-man show", failing to address the fundamental issues that necessitated its creation.
“The problems that led to the creation of the APC remain unresolved, but I no longer believe the APC is interested in addressing them,” he said. “You don’t even know if it is a one-man show; it’s a zero-man show.”
Following his remarks, Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser on Policy Communication to President Tinubu, took to X (formerly Twitter) to challenge El-Rufai’s position. Bwala questioned whether the former governor would have held the same views had he been part of the administration’s cabinet.
“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,” Bwala wrote.
In a swift and pointed response on his verified X handle (@elrufai), El-Rufai dismissed Bwala’s remarks, emphasizing that he had made it clear to President Tinubu that he had no interest in joining his government.
“I was a cabinet minister 22 years ago and was clear to Asiwaju that I was not interested in any position in his future government,” he stated.
Taking a swipe at Bwala and other pro-government commentators, El-Rufai described them as "latter-day converts", suggesting they lacked the moral conviction to speak truth to power.
“The pathetic manner all of you latter-day converts to the Tinubu government make an issue of something that I never wanted in the first place is perhaps a reflection of the level of your moral flexibility,” he added.
El-Rufai further criticized individuals he claimed were political mercenaries, defending the government’s actions without question. He referenced past political figures, including Wendell Simlin and a Kaduna politician defeated in 2019, accusing them of benefiting from security vote stipends while being the first to defend government policies.
“Enjoy your special adviser position, my brother, but remember that allegiance to God and country comes first in the human scale of accountability, before any person or authority,” El-Rufai cautioned Bwala.
El-Rufai’s remarks underscore growing tensions within the ruling party, as some of its founding members express disillusionment with its trajectory. His comments also highlight an emerging divide between those within the administration and former allies who now question its governance style.
While Bwala and other APC loyalists maintain their defense of the government, El-Rufai’s latest remarks suggest that internal dissent within the party may continue to surface in the coming months.
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