El-Rufai Fires Back at Bwala: APC Critique or Personal Vendetta?
The former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, has launched a sharp retort to Daniel Bwala, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication. This comes after el-Rufai’s recent criticism of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which he accused of losing its core values. El-Rufai, a founding member of the APC, expressed his disillusionment, stating, “I no longer recognize the APC. No party organ has met in two years — no caucus, no NEC, nothing. I don’t even know if it’s a one-man show. It’s a zero-man show.”
His comments, made during a national conference in Abuja on strengthening democracy in Nigeria, resonated with many who share similar concerns about the party’s direction.
In response, Bwala questioned whether el-Rufai’s criticism of the APC would have been different had he been appointed to Tinubu’s cabinet. This reference alluded to the Senate’s decision to withhold el-Rufai’s ministerial clearance on security grounds in August 2023.
El-Rufai, however, wasted no time in firing back on X (formerly Twitter), challenging Bwala’s stance. “The pathetic manner in which all of you latter-day converts to the Tinubu government make an issue of something I never wanted in the first place is perhaps a reflection of your moral flexibility,” he wrote. He emphasized that had he remained in the government, his position on the APC’s troubles would have remained unchanged. “If I had stayed in the Tinubu government, I would have addressed the party’s crisis privately, and then publicly if necessary.”
As tensions continue to rise within the APC, the former governor’s bold statements underscore the growing divisions and dissatisfaction within the ruling party.
