- Former Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai criticised the APC for poor leadership and lack of internal democracy, stating party structures have collapsed
- El-Rufai urged opposition parties to unite ahead of the 2027 elections and called for stronger standards in candidate nominations to address governance challenges
- The presidency and APC leaders responded, with the former expressing disappointment and the latter urging internal dialogue over public criticism
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has come under fire from former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, who accused the party of poor leadership and a lack of internal democracy.
His remarks, made at a national conference in Abuja on Monday, have sparked a heated response from both the Presidency and APC leaders.
Speaking at the conference, which focused on strengthening democracy in Nigeria, El-Rufai described the state of governance and opposition in the country as a “national emergency.”
He lamented that internal democracy within the APC had collapsed, claiming that party structures, including caucuses and the National Executive Committee (NEC), had not convened in two years.
“You don’t even know if it is a one-man show; it’s a zero-man show,” he said, expressing his disillusionment with the current state of the ruling party.
The former governor also voiced his concerns about the quality of candidates being nominated by political parties.
He argued that the constitution’s minimum requirement of a secondary school certificate for party nominations was insufficient and urged parties to set higher standards for candidates and delegates.
Reflecting on the APC's origins, El-Rufai noted that the party was initially founded to combat corruption, rebuild the economy, and enhance security. However, he alleged that these goals had been abandoned under the current leadership.
El-Rufai went on to call for a united opposition front, urging political parties to set aside their differences and form a broad coalition to challenge the ruling APC ahead of the 2027 elections.
He claimed that the crises within opposition parties, such as the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP), were being exacerbated by "sponsored mercenaries" and warned that this posed a significant threat to Nigeria’s democracy.
“We don’t want military rule, but we also don’t want civilians behaving like the military in their babarriga and suits,” he added.
Presidency responds to El-Rufai’s remarks
The presidency was quick to respond to El-Rufai’s scathing remarks. Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communications, expressed disappointment over the former governor's comments, suggesting that El-Rufai’s tone would have been different had he remained part of the government.
"If you were to be in the government and cabinet, would you have held and expressed the same position?" Bwala asked, stressing that El-Rufai had been part of the administration’s formation.
Bala Ibrahim, the National Publicity Director of the APC, also weighed in on the matter, stating that while El-Rufai was entitled to his opinion, he should have raised his concerns directly with the party leadership rather than airing them in public. Ibrahim, however, acknowledged that the APC is a “listening party” and assured that El-Rufai would have the opportunity to discuss any grievances with the leadership.
El-Rufai slams MDAs for frivolous spending on vehicles, utensils
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that Bello El-Rufai, a federal lawmaker representing Kaduna North Federal Constituency, had strongly criticised Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) for their continuous refusal to reduce their budgets, accusing them of wasting public funds on frivolous items such as utensils and vehicles.
In a video which went viral on social media on Friday, December 20, Bello, the son of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, called on the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, to prioritise budget reductions for MDAs.
