All Progressives Congress (APC) bigwigs in the North and South are reportedly not happy with President Bola Tinubu, and there are strong indications that some former ministers of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, former Governors and Senators will move en masse to the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Naija News reports that the former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, on Monday, defected to the SDP, citing a growing misalignment between his values and the current direction of the APC as the primary reason for his decision.
El-Rufai, a vocal critic of Tinubu’s administration, disclosed on Wednesday that he sought Buhari’s approval before leaving the APC, and it has opened a floodgate of defections as some other members of the APC in the North, especially those of Congress for Progress Change (CPC) extraction, have also been dumping the party.
Following El-Rufai’s defection, a chieftain of the APC and former member of the House of Representatives from Katsina, Ahmad Kaita, also joined the SDP.
Similarly, former Kaduna State commissioners for Agriculture, Ibrahim Hussaini; Justice, Aisha Dikko; Health, Amina Baloni, and Education, Halima Lawal, as well as former Head of Service, Hajiya Bari’atu Mohammed, also dumped the APC for the SDP.
Also, the Campaign Secretary of the APC in Gombe State during the 2015 general elections, Adamu Modibbo, has left the party and is currently the chairman of the state SDP.
A senator in the ninth Assembly, who spoke to PUNCH on the condition of anonymity, said at least 10 former members of the Buhari cabinet were moving to the SDP.
According to the source, leading Buhari’s loyalists in the defections are the former National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Adamu; ex-Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami; and former Senate President, Ahmed Lawan.
The source said, “What they’re waiting for is the finalisation of the party structure in their respective states.”
Similarly, one of Malami’s closest aides has confirmed his involvement in the coalition move.
The aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said, “It is not about ousting Tinubu in 2027 but about our conviction that we have better and more credible constitutional alternatives to offer Nigerians in governance, particularly with regard to institutionalising a human-centred approach to governance.
“We collectively abhor the prevailing order in which governance is commercialised to the detriment of Nigerians and their welfare. It seems to be a marriage of tendencies that cut across the existing political parties with high-profile politicians from PDP, defunct CPC, ACN and APC, among others.
“In personality sense, those involved across the geographical zones include serving and former governors and senators, former ministers, and past and present party officials.”
Other Politicians Leaving
A highly credible source has mentioned former governors of Rivers, Imo, Cross Rivers, Sokoto and Osun states, Rotimi Amaechi, Emeka Ihedioha, Liyel Imoke, Aminu Tambuwal and Rauf Aregbesola, respectively, as part of the stakeholders in the coalition movement.
A former Senate President, David Mark; ex-national chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; a former Buhari’s Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, and the senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, among others, were also involved in the coalition.
In an interview with the aforementioned, a chieftain of the APC in Imo State confirmed that the CPC extraction in the party had concluded plans to leave for a coalition.
He said no fewer than 10 ministers and many senators in the ninth National Assembly were leaving the APC.
He said, “That some ministers who served under Buhari are leaving or will leave the APC is confirmed. However, they may not join the SDP, but I know they are part of the coalition movement.
“President Tinubu has mismanaged the success of our party, and it is painful that things are going awry every day. APC bigwigs, both in the North and South, are not happy, and the President doesn’t care. You don’t grow by reducing in size. The APC is reducing in size.
“The CPC bloc of the party has also been leaving. You will agree with me that the CPC is a strong bloc in the APC, and if it is gone, I doubt if the APC will remain the same.”
