The All Progressives Congress (APC) has hit back at former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, dismissing his recent criticisms of the party as nothing more than a reaction to his inability to secure a ministerial position.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Monday and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, APC described El-Rufai’s allegations that the party had strayed from its founding principles as a “smokescreen” meant to disguise his personal grievances.
“El-Rufai stands diminished as the epitome of a self-interested politician, blinded by ego, driven by untamed emotion, and brimming with a vengeful desire to collapse the system,” Morka stated.
El-Rufai, in a recent interview with BBC Hausa, claimed that the APC had abandoned its progressive ideology and was now dominated by politicians prioritizing personal gain over national development. However, the ruling party countered that his frustration was rooted in his failure to secure a ministerial appointment in President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
“His claim that he exited because the party had deviated from its founding values or progressive ideology is a smokescreen to weaponize personal grievance garbed as principled dissent. He appears traumatized by his failure to land a ministerial position,” the statement read.
El-Rufai recently aligned himself with the Social Democratic Party (SDP), a move that APC questioned, given his professed commitment to progressive ideals.
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“Exactly how is the SDP, his new political abode, an ideological safe haven?” Morka asked, implying that El-Rufai’s political choices were more about personal survival than ideological consistency.
The party further defended President Tinubu’s administration, listing achievements such as fuel subsidy removal, exchange rate unification, and increased foreign investment as evidence of commitment to good governance and economic reform.
“El-Rufai’s claim that Tinubu has failed is as outrageous as it is bogus, and a gross distortion of the reality on the ground. Across all sectors, Nigerians are witnessing tangible progress in the delivery of the President’s campaign promises,” the statement added.
APC advised El-Rufai to engage in constructive political discourse rather than launching “scurrilous propaganda and deliberate misinformation.” The party urged him to offer meaningful policy alternatives instead of attacking his former allies.
“El-Rufai is free to choose his political affiliation as he has done. He should quit sulking, get a grip, and salvage some respectability,” the statement concluded.
With the ongoing political rift, it remains to be seen whether El-Rufai will respond or if this marks the beginning of a prolonged political battle between him and his former party.