Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, has revealed that his entry into politics was not sparked by former President Muhammadu Buhari, as many might assume, but by Pastor Tunde Bakare. In a candid interview with BBC Hausa on Thursday, El-Rufai explained that it was Bakare who “dragged” him into the political arena and introduced him to Buhari, setting the stage for his eventual role in the All Progressives Congress (APC). “I did not join the APC because of Buhari; it was Pastor Bakare who dragged me to APC,” he clarified.
El-Rufai, who recently defected from the APC to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), minced no words in describing the ruling party’s downfall. He accused the APC of straying far from its original ideals, asserting that it has become a shadow of its former self. “The party is dead,” he declared, pointing to a culture of self-interest and corruption. “Everyone in APC was working for themselves and looking for money. The government is commercialized—everything has a price tag,” he said, lamenting the erosion of justice and fairness within the party.
He further criticized the APC’s leadership for neglecting those who toiled for its success, claiming that loyalty has been sidelined in favor of cronyism. “Those who worked for the party were ignored instead of being compensated. If there is any position or appointment, they give it to a Lagos boy,” he alleged, suggesting a regional bias in the distribution of opportunities.
Reflecting on his departure, El-Rufai emphasized the personal connections that shaped his political path. Out of courtesy, he informed Bakare, the man who brought him into the APC fold, of his decision to leave. He also sought the blessings of Buhari, whom he consulted before making the switch to the SDP. “Buhari too, I told him I was leaving the party. He said he has given me his blessings and prayers,” El-Rufai recounted. He portrayed Buhari as a statesman who has stepped back from active politics, leaving the arena to others while offering his support from afar. “We are the ones in politics; he is now father of the land and has been praying for us,” he added.
El-Rufai’s exit from the APC marks a significant shift in Nigeria’s political landscape, underscored by his scathing assessment of the party’s current state. His move to the SDP, coupled with his revelations about its internal rot, signals a broader disillusionment among some of its founding figures. As he charts a new course, El-Rufai’s words serve as both a reflection on his political origins and a warning of the challenges facing the APC ahead of future electoral battles.
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