“Former Kaduna Governor El-Rufai Laments APC’s Decline, Says He Feels ‘Stranded’ in the Party”
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has raised significant concerns about the direction of the All Progressives Congress (APC), claiming that the party has strayed from its founding principles and no longer aligns with his values.
In an interview on Arise TV, El-Rufai expressed frustration with the current state of the APC, emphasizing that while he remains politically active, he no longer recognizes the party he helped to establish. “I didn’t say I have no intentions of leaving the APC; I said that APC is my party—I founded it,” he clarified. However, he went on to state that the party has “left him,” moving away from its original values, leaving him feeling “stranded.”
One of El-Rufai’s major critiques was the party’s failure to maintain internal democracy. He pointed out that key party organs such as the National Caucus and the National Executive Committee (NEC) had not met in over two years. “The APC constitution mandates that the NEC meets at least once every quarter, but for two years, no meeting has taken place,” he lamented. El-Rufai further revealed that he had sought clarification from past APC chairmen—including Chief Bisi Akande, Adams Oshiomhole, John Odigie-Oyegun, and Abdullahi Adamu—about the party’s status but had received no satisfactory answers.
Despite his concerns, El-Rufai made it clear that he has no intention of retiring from politics. “I will remain in politics for life, but that doesn’t mean I will keep contesting elections,” he stated. He added that he hoped to play a role in shaping the party’s future, advocating for better candidates and governance.
The former governor did not rule out the possibility of exploring another political platform if the APC fails to realign with its founding principles. “If I can’t find those progressive values in APC, sooner or later, I may have to find another platform to pursue them,” he said.
As the APC prepares for upcoming meetings of its National Caucus and NEC, El-Rufai expressed hope that party leadership would reflect on the reasons for the party’s departure from its core values and work towards course correction.
