Kaduna – Former Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasiru El-Rufai, revealed that he sought permission from former President Muhammadu Buhari before leaving the All Progressives Congress (APC) to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
In an interview with the BBC Hausa Service, El-Rufai stated that he always seeks Buhari’s consent and advice before making decisions.
He said, “The APC has derailed and no longer adheres to its founding principles. Everyone is self-serving and focused on making money. The government is commercialized, and everything has a price tag.
Justice has been sidelined, and those who worked for the party were ignored instead of being rewarded. Positions and appointments are given to favored individuals from Lagos, among others.
“We have been vocal about this, stating that this is not the party we once knew. The party is dead. I decided to meet Pastor Tunde Bakare, who introduced me to the APC and took me to Buhari. I did not join the APC because of Buhari; it was Pastor Bakare who brought me in, and courtesy demanded that I inform him.
“I also informed Buhari that I was leaving the party and sought his blessings and prayers. He gave me his blessings and prayers. We are the ones in politics now, while Buhari is the father of the land, praying for us. So, what remains?
“I have publicly renounced my membership of the party. They can keep the party and enjoy it alone; we have given up.”
When asked if he left the party to avoid being expelled, El-Rufai said it would have been easier for him to be expelled from the APC.
“It would have been much easier for me, but as I have repeatedly said, I did not leave the party; the party abandoned me. Why did it abandon me? Firstly, I was marginalized and not involved in party activities. I was not invited and refused to honor the invite; I was completely sidelined.
“Secondly, what we planned to implement when we formed the government is not what is being implemented,” he alleged.
Regarding the widespread belief that he left the party because he was not considered for a ministerial appointment, El-Rufai said that was just a popular view.
“But did I even seek a ministerial position? I know those who paid money to be appointed as ministers.
“Yes, I attended the screening because the President begged me. It was in the public eye, not a private conversation, for him to claim he never begged me. It was in Kaduna where he begged me to come and work with him. Even then, I did not agree until we sat down and he explained his intentions. He said the problem of electricity was hindering the country’s progress and that he wanted to be the President who finally resolved the power issue. He begged me to help him achieve that. I told him I would consider the challenge he presented and think about working with him. I thought he was sincere.”
