A former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has alleged a plot by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to destroy the opposition parties in the country.
Mr El-Rufai, a founding member of the APC, made the allegation on Monday while speaking at a conference in Abuja.
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The party is yet to react to the politician’s remarks.
The event, with the theme, “Strengthening Nigeria’s Democracy: Pathway to Good Governance and Political Integrity,” was organised by the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (LSD).
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“There seems to be a deliberate project to destroy opposition parties,” he alleged.
There are 17 opposition parties in Nigeria.
Mr El-Rufai urged the parties to unite to save the country, warning that it is descending towards a one-party system.
“There are internal mercenaries in the PDP, hired and motivated to destroy the party. The Labour Party is also facing similar issues. Peter Obi himself told me, ‘I don’t know what’s happening in the party I contested with,” he said.
Fallout with the APC and Tinubu
Aside from being a founding member of the APC, Mr El-Rufai also played a significant role in the emergence of Bola Tinubu as president in 2023.
Before the election, Messrs Tinubu and El-Rufai were not on the same political side, and there were instances where the two exchanged jabs. However, they appeared to have settled their political differences before the party’s presidential primary.
In 2022, during an event in Kaduna, Mr Tinubu personally invited the former governor to abandon his plans to retire from public service and join his government if they won the election.
However, Mr El-Rufai’s nomination as a minister was rejected by the Senate “acting on some petitions”. Many believed this was due to power struggles within the party.
Over the past 18 months, Mr El-Rufai has fallen out with his successor in Kaduna State, Uba Sani, who is believed to have the backing of the presidency.
In recent months, Mr El-Rufai has been taking jabs at the presidency, including a cryptic post on X accusing the president of nepotism.
Illiterates as leaders
Mr El-Rufai, a former minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), also said that illiterates are running the APC, adding that he no longer recognises it as a party.
“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.
“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,” he said.
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