El-Rufai, who spoke to journalists on Tuesday, January 28, at the venue of the just concluded National Conference in Abuja, said he was only hard on the party to ensure that the right things were done.
When he was thrown with the question on the alleged plan to leave the party, the former governor said:
“I am not leaving the APC. I don’t have such plans.”
Vanguard reported that he further added that the reason for his action was to ensure change within the ruling party.
Why El-Rufai went hard on APC
On Monday, January 27, the former governor was said to have gone hard on the APC, saying the party has abandoned its founding principles and now strengthened poor leadership.
According to El-Rufai, there was a lack of active party structure and internal democracy within the ruling party, saying “I no longer recognise the APC.” He further added that the party organ has not met for the last two years, including the National Executive Council. He stressed that no one can tell if the party is running a one-man show or a zero-man show.
On growing democracy in Nigeria, it was recommended at the conference that all opposition parties should unite and form a strong front against the ruling APC ahead of the 2027 general election.
INEC urged to register more political parties
The conference also maintained that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should allow new political parties to be registered as contained in the constitution.
The National Conference was organised by a group of civil society organisations, which included the National Peace Committee, the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD), Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WfD), Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), and Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA).
Ezenwa Nwagwu, one of the conveners who read the communique on behalf of the organisers, said Nigeria’s 25 years of democracy has not led the country to deep democratic values or institutions but only experienced an erosion of public trust through systemic issues such as weak governance structure, electoral malpractice, endemic corruption and electoral malpractice.
El-Rufai ally lands in court
Legit.ng earlier reported that the ICPC has filed fresh charges against Muhammad Bashir Saidu, the former chief of staff to the immediate past Governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El-Rufai.
Saidu, who earlier served as commissioner for finance under el-Rufai, is facing two-count charges of money laundering alongside Ibrahim Muktar, a public officer in the ministry.
The embattled ex-aide to El-Rufai is currently being remanded in prison for sharing fake news about the state of insecurity in the country.