Last week in this column, I tried to examine former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai’s, theory on the North’s king making role in Nigerian politics. I was keen to move on to some other subject this week, but the man of the moment clearly had too much on his chest and had to unburden. Cue Monday’s soundbite-laden interview on Arise TV. So, permit me dear reader, to drop my twopence on this matter.
Almost six years to the day, the former governor visited Lagos as guest speaker at the Bridge Club where he gave an exposition on how to retire political godfathers. Given the time and location, it was no mystery who his comments were aimed at.
The dust had barely settled on the 2019 polls where former President Muhammadu Buhari secured a further term – albeit with diminished voter enthusiasm. The country had not even put the ritual of a second inauguration behind it, but El-Rufai was already talking about the race for the 2023 All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential ticket.
He admonished the then incumbent to deal with ‘desperate’ and ‘over-ambitious’ elements within APC whose activities, he said, could make the president’s second term difficult from day one.
That same pattern has been noticeable in the past couple of months. His party’s federal government led by Bola Tinubu has been in power for less than two years, but he started his scheming much earlier; defiantly holding meetings with elements of the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The sole purpose of these explorations certainly isn’t strengthening the ruling party, but how to take it down from its perch. Why else would you profess membership of one party and be brazenly consorting with others – not caring who took notice?
El-Rufai loves to brag about his fearlessness. He thrives on supposedly ‘speaking truth to power’ – which in itself is something more politicians should be encouraged to do. Unfortunately, his volubility may just be his greatest weakness.
In my 2019 piece titled “El-Rufai the godfather slayer”, I wrote that the man was “something of an enigma. To some he is a straight talker given to shooting from the lips. Others would say he shoots first and reflects later – thus pushing him into the category of loose cannons.”
Watching and listening to him in his latest interview you came away with the picture of an angry, embittered individual who was determined to burn as many bridges as he could find. He blithely declared that he no longer considered longstanding associates like his successor Uba Sani and National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, as friends.
He would then allege a grand conspiracy between the twosome in cahoots with the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) to destroy his reputation via the agency of an ongoing House of Assembly probe of Kaduna State finances under his watch.
Ribadu is supposedly driving this because he is interested in becoming president in 2031 and wants to eliminate all potential Northern rivals. This is a weighty allegation to be made against even an estranged friend. Unfortunately, El-Rufai who is alleging doesn’t provide any proof beyond suppositions and suspicions.
He, also, finally got round to blaming Tinubu for his failed ministerial nomination. Although, he admitted the president was well within his rights to change his mind. It is understandable that he would feel a sense of deep disappointment having appeared like a shoo-in for the cabinet. But let’s not forget that he was nominated and screened by the Senate. Whatever stumbling block prevented the president from making a call to clear the way must have been a veritable immovable mountain.
Some of the information in the interview was unnecessary and only served to raise questions as to what his true motivations for past political moves were. For instance, to what purpose was his going on about how he and the president were never friends?
One thing is clear: his political journey in the APC is clearly at an end. His recent actions are not indicative of someone intent on promoting healing in home but rather those of a man who would rather wreak as much havoc as possible on his way out. He’s doing so by accumulating foes instead of multiplying friends – not a wise move by any politician
Criticising the party’s leadership since Tinubu assumed office., he said: “I’m a founding member of APC, but I have concern about how the party is being run… how many people sacrificed a lot to ensure that it was an internally democratic party with progressive ideals, two years after the election of President of Tinubu, none of the party organs is functioning. The progressive ideals are not being pursued with any vigour,” he said.
“APC is my party. But the APC has left me; I didn’t leave the APC. We founded this party based on certain values, but today, the party has moved away from them. I feel stranded.”
“If I can’t find those progressive values in APC, sooner or later, I may have to find another platform to pursue them. But I still hope the party will correct its course,”
Fair criticism, if indeed the party hasn’t been meeting in line with its constitution. But it’s funny how history repeats itself. These same rumblings are reminiscent of what transpired at different times under Buhari when influential members of the party complained about party organs not functioning.
Well known El-Rufai associate, Salihu Lukman, then a member of the National Working Committee (NWC) wrote long public letters bemoaning dysfunction within the APC structure. But not many who were so dissatisfied have taken things to the scorched earth level of threatening defection.
Early in April 2023 under the chairmanship of Senator Abdullahi Adamu, Lukman claimed that the National Executive Committee (NEC) and Board of Trustees (BoT) were ineffective, stressing that they have not been holding meetings in accordance with the party’s constitution.
In a statement titled: “APC and Questions of Progressive Credentials”, he complained that the NWC had rendered other party organs prostrate since 2022.
He alleged that no statutory organ of the party had functioned in line with the constitution of the party, adding that the National Advisory Council (NAC) was yet to be constituted.
The former Director-General of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) lamented that the Adamu-led NWC had committed fundamental infractions like the ones that led to the dissolution of the Adams Oshiomhole-led NWC in 2020.
These infractions, he said, included the refusal to convene the NEC and National Caucus meetings, and refusal to give quarterly financial reports.
Clearly, the ruling party has had a challenge in this area, so it is a bit dubious making it look like a Tinubu invention.
The way it is being flogged by El-Rufai looks like someone is preparing an alibi or justification for an imminent action.
Of course, it is to be expected that whoever takes over would effect changes that make the party more democratic internally. So, hopefully the NEC and Caucus meetings scheduled for this week could be part of that course correction. Dissent is part of democracy and no party member should be crucified for being critical. However, questions have to be asked when disgruntlement crosses the line and becomes open fraternisation with political opponents whose stated agenda is ousting your own party’s government.
Questions have to be asked when a notable member of APC takes to social media every other day to launch attacks against the president, fanning embers of anger against him in the North, excoriating his Southwest kinsmen and denigrating his appointees as incompetent ‘Lagos boys.’
This is more so when the likes of the ex-Kaduna governor never raised a voice in anger when Buhari was accused of lopsided appointments in favour of the North. That galling hypocrisy is what blunts some of their criticism of Tinubu’s appointments.
It remains to be seen how much more of El-Rufai’s slash and burn criticism the APC hierarchy can take before moving against him in some fashion. He may not even wait around much longer to be served such humiliating punishment. As he has said, the party has left him and he’s clearly on his way out to the perfect platform. Talk of a divorce made in heaven.
