Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, says he got former President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval before leaving the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa, El-Rufai said he never makes major political moves without consulting Buhari.
Why El-Rufai Left APC
El-Rufai tried to rationalize his departure from the ruling party, saying it had lost its original values. According to him, leaders now focus on personal gain instead of governance.
“APC has derailed. Everyone is looking for money. The government is commercialized. Everything has a price tag,” he said.
He added that party loyalists were abandoned. “Those who worked for the party were ignored. If there’s an appointment, they give it to a Lagos boy.”
El-Rufai said he first spoke with Pastor Tunde Bakare, who introduced him to the APC, before informing Buhari.
“Buhari gave me his blessings and prayers. He is now a father to the nation, so what remains? I’ve publicly denounced my membership. Let them eat the party alone. We’ve given up.”
Not Expelled, Just Ignored
When asked if he left to avoid expulsion, El-Rufai said, “That would’ve been easier. But I was sidelined. I wasn’t involved in party activities. I didn’t leave APC; APC dumped me.”
He also said the APC abandoned its plans. “What we intended to implement is not what’s happening.”
El-Rufai dismissed claims that he left because he wasn’t given a ministerial position.
“Did I even look for a ministerial post? Some people even paid money to be appointed.”
He revealed that Tinubu personally asked him to join his government.
“Yes, I was at the screening because the President begged me. It was in the public glare, not the two of us for him to say he had never begged me. It was in Kaduna where he begged me to come and work with him. Even then, I did not agree until when we sat down and he told me what he wanted. That the problem of electricity had refused to allow the country to progress. He said he would like to be the President that would finally resolve the power problem and he begged me to come and help him achieve that. I told him that I would look at the challenge he gave me and would consider working with him. I thought he meant it.”
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