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The All Progressives Congress (APC) has downplayed the defection of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, to the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP), insisting that his exit poses no threat to President Bola Tinubu or the ruling party.
Speaking in an interview with Saturday Punch, the APC National Vice Chairman (South-East), Ijeomah Arodiogbu, described El-Rufai as a “spent force”, stating that the party and Tinubu remain politically unshaken.
“El-Rufai has angered and alienated many people from different backgrounds, and he has become a political outcast,” Arodiogbu said.
He added that even the Christian community, which El-Rufai allegedly offended with controversial remarks after the 2023 presidential election, might not forgive him for another decade.
Naija News reports that El-Rufai, who formally dumped the APC on Monday, declared his intention to mobilize and unite opposition figures to challenge President Tinubu in the 2027 elections.
“I will focus on engaging with and persuading other opposition leaders and parties to join us and congregate under a unified democratic platform to challenge the APC in all elections and by-elections,” he stated.
However, the Presidency and the APC dismissed El-Rufai’s plan, accusing him of being driven by “inordinate ambition that is destined to fail.”
Former Minister Says APC Will Grow Stronger
A former Minister of Communications and APC chieftain, Adebayo Shittu, who spoke with the platform, also faulted El-Rufai’s decision to leave the ruling party, stating that his defection will not harm the APC or Tinubu’s re-election prospects.
“Despite the initial challenges of fuel subsidy removal, the government’s support base is growing stronger. A lot of people who were once in the PDP and Labour Party are now joining the APC in droves,” Shittu said.
He further noted that many of El-Rufai’s supporters in Kaduna, unhappy with his actions, have been defecting to the APC instead.
Expressing confidence in Tinubu’s re-election bid, Shittu maintained that the APC will secure more support in key areas it previously lost in 2023, including Kaduna, Lagos, and parts of the East.
“The government in Kaduna is doing well and garnering support for President Tinubu. Things are improving, and I pray that God continues to guide the President so that he can make the right decisions for the benefit of Nigeria,” he added.
With the 2027 general elections still years away, the APC appears unbothered by El-Rufai’s defection, maintaining that the ruling party remains Nigeria’s dominant political force.
