El-Rufai, APC clash over Tinubu’s re-election bid
A former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have clashed over President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid. El-Rufai, a former Minister for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has warned that Nigeria’s social capital may be completely destroyed if President Tinubu secures victory for a second term of office in 2027. […]
A former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have clashed over President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid.
El-Rufai, a former Minister for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has warned that Nigeria’s social capital may be completely destroyed if President Tinubu secures victory for a second term of office in 2027.
El-Rufai issued the warning in Sokoto during a grassroots’ mobilisation campaign organised by the opposition coalition platform, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), at the weekend.
But the APC National Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, described ADC leaders as a collection of confused politicians who have nothing good to offer Nigerians.
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Daily Trust reports that a coalition of opposition leaders recently adopted the ADC as their platform to challenge President Tinubu in 2027.
The coalition members comprises former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; former presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi; former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi; former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal; former national chairman of the APC, John Oyegun, and many other bigwigs.
Under the arrangement, the coalition appointed a former Senate President, David Mark, and former Interior Minister, Rauf Aregbesola, as interim national chairman and secretary of the ADC respectively.
Since then, the party has been receiving defectors from other opposition parties and embarking on grassroots mobilisation as part of a membership drive across the country ahead of 2027.
El-Rufai, who was one of the founding members of the APC, however, defected to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the first quarter of this year. He was also part of the coalition that adopted the ADC.
He declared his full support for the ADC and vowed to help galvanise Nigerians to ensure the APC is voted out of office during the Sokoto rally.
The former Kaduna governor argued that allowing Tinubu to secure a second term would pose a serious threat to the country’s future.
“I believe that if we allow this party and the government to continue for a second term in office, what remains of Nigeria’s social capital will be destroyed, and we may not have a country at all. So, this is a fight for our lives,” he said.
El-Rufai said his return to active politics is not driven by personal ambition but by the urgent need to reverse “failures of the current government.”
ADC a collection of confused politicians – APC
But reacting, the APC National Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, said the ADC is not an option, stressing that the party has nothing to offer Nigerians.
Ibrahim in a telephone chat with Daily Trust said President Tinubu’s reforms were yielding positive results, stressing that the president would be re-elected in 2027, to consolidate on his reforms.
“The ADC is a collection of confused persons. These are people that had done it before, but they failed. Nigerians told them that they were tired of their style of leadership.
“I don’t want to join issues with El-Rufai, but the ADC is not an option. These are people who cannot pinpoint anything visible they did when they were in power that impacted positively on the people. So they don’t have the moral authority to talk about changing the country into purposeful leadership.
“The issue of rescue comes only where there is destruction; when there is a kind of hijacking the system against the citizens. But the APC has brought renewed hope for prosperity.
“Within the two years of the Tinubu administration, changes have been brought into the system in a way and manner that is being applauded. The APC government under President Tinubu, has introduced changes, reforms that are beginning to yield results,” he said.