Tag: el-Rufai

• ‘Our opponents chose to fight propaganda battle’

From AbdulGafar Alabelewe, Kaduna, Yinka Adeniran, Ibadan, Osagie Otabor, Benin, Bolaji Ogundele, Abuja, Fanen Ihyongo, Kano, and Timilehin Babatope

As the All Progressives Congress (APC) continues to celebrate its  victory at the by-elections held on Saturday, Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, yesterday took a swipe at his predecessor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.

He declared that elections were not won on social media.

Sani, at the party’s stakeholders’ meeting in Kaduna, reminded the opposition that there were no polling units on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, a jab thrown at El-Rufai who has remained vocal on social media platforms since exiting the APC.

According to the Governor, APC members should not be carried away by social media propaganda, adding that while the opposition dwelt on “Twitter battles and Facebook noise,” the ruling party focused on grassroots mobilisation, inclusivity, and delivering good governance, which gave the party victory at the polls.

Read Also: Tinubu, APC, governors, Ganduja condole with Yilwatda over mum’s death

“There is no ballot box on Twitter. There is no ballot box on Instagram or Facebook. Elections are won at the grassroots, not on social media,” the Governor said to loud applause from the party faithful.

 Sani said: “Our opponents chose to fight the propaganda battle, but we chose to fight the political battle. They lost because the people know who is working for them. We will not waste our time on social media noise-making,” he said.

He told party leaders and stakeholders that Saturday’s victory was historic, particularly in areas where the APC had never won since 1999, ascribing the feat to his administration’s deliberate focus on economic development, rural empowerment, and agriculture.

“Since 1999, some communities have never voted for our party. But today, they stood with us because they saw inclusivity in action. We made a pledge to defend everyone, irrespective of religion, ethnicity, or party affiliation- and we kept it,” he added.

The Governor also urged party executives not to abandon the APC manifesto, warning that the only way to guarantee electoral success in 2027 was to remain connected to the people.

The APC State Chairman, Air Commodore Emmanuel Jekada (rtd.) expressed confidence that with unity, the party would consolidate power in 2027.

“This is not the time for blame games but for collective responsibility. No aspiration is too big to be sacrificed for the unity, peace, and progress of our party. Together, we can restore the confidence of the people and return APC to winning ways,” he said.

…as coalition alleges plot to rig polls

Kaduna State Government has fired back at the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) coalition, dismissing their allegations of planned sabotage of Saturday’s bye-elections as “laughable lies” by “political leftovers” of former governor Nasir El-Rufai.

The coalition, led by ADC National Vice Chairman (North-West), Jafaru Ibrahim Sani, had on Thursday accused Governor Uba Sani’s administration of plotting to rig the Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency and state constituency elections in Zaria and Sabon-Gari through mass recruitment of thugs, bribery of electoral officials and vote buying.

But in a swift counter, Kaduna State Government, in a press briefing by Commissioner of Information-designate, Ahmed Maiyaki, described the claims as baseless, mischievous, and a desperate attempt to discredit an election the coalition “knows it cannot win.”

Maiyaki, who was flanked by his counterpart from the Ministry for Local Government, Sadiq Mamman-Lagos, said the ADC/SDP coalition’s “poorly attended rallies” in recent weeks had already exposed their rejection by the electorate, prompting them to “cry wolf where there is none” as a face-saving measure ahead of defeat.

The coalition also alleged that plots of land were being offered to senior INEC officials as inducement, while a “disgraced former senator” known for electoral violence was put in charge of deploying the alleged funds for vote buying and security compromise.

It urged INEC to replace allegedly compromised personnel and called on security agencies to resist being used to subvert the people’s will. It further demanded the prosecution of the Commissioner for Local Government and others accused of recruiting thugs to disrupt the polls.

Maiyaki stressed that the state government has no role in election conduct, which is the exclusive responsibility of INEC, and accused the coalition of trying to drag the administration into “self-inflicted political misery.”

Read Also: How Kaduna is building a model of inclusive governance

“We will not sit idly by while political opportunists smear the name of our administration and malign innocent officials with wild, unsubstantiated claims,” he said, adding that government lawyers had been directed to study the allegations for possible legal action.

In a direct jab at El-Rufai, Maiyaki reminded journalists of a past incident where “the former governor sent thugs to the NUJ Secretariat, injuring many colleagues,” saying such violence was alien to Governor Uba Sani’s leadership style.

“As we speak, the governor is in Chikun LGA flagging off the construction of Romi–Karatudu Township Roads — a community abandoned and demolished under El-Rufai’s eight-year rule,” he said.

Maiyaki accused the coalition of being unsettled by Uba Sani’s inclusive leadership, which he claimed had united the state and delivered tangible development.

He, however, urged voters to turn out en masse on Saturday and disregard the “rantings of political jobbers” masquerading as defenders of democracy.

“Democracy in Kaduna is alive and thriving — and no amount of theatre from El-Rufai’s political leftovers in ADC will change that,” he added.

Mamman-Lagos, on his part, dismissed the allegation of illegal deductions from local governments’ accounts, describing former Governor El-Rufai as a “frustrated politician who is sinking and wants to drag others along.”

The Northern Youths Frontiers (NYF), on Thursday, faulted former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, over recent comments made during a political gathering in Sokoto, describing them as divisive, self-serving, and disconnected from the realities and aspirations of Northern Nigeria.

The NYF noted with concern that El-Rufai became more brazenly bitter after he lost a ministerial bid when he was rejected by the Senate due to petitions rooted in the growing lack of trust in his leadership and character.

In a statement signed by the NYF North West Zonal Coordinator, Saminu Tukur, the group accused El-Rufai of deliberately stoking regional tensions to revive his fading political relevance ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He said, “The NYF contended that El Rufai’s veiled threats about 2027 and inflammatory rhetoric amount to a desperate attempt by a politically irrelevant figure to reinsert himself into the national discourse through controversy, divisiveness, and desperation.

“We believe that his utterances were reckless, self-serving, and wholly unrepresentative of the views and aspirations of the North. Let it be clear that El-Rufai does not speak for Kaduna State, and certainly not for the North.

“His brand of politics, driven by personal ambition and bitterness, has long been rejected by the people. The North today stands for unity, peace, and national development, not the outdated politics of division and discord. His remarks in Sokoto only serve to remind Nigerians of his fading relevance and toxic political legacy.

“Most egregiously, El-Rufai betrayed the very people that had propelled him to national relevance such as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who mentored him and influenced his appointment at the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE), former President Obasanjo who trusted him as FCT Minister, and late President Buhari whose popularity he exploited to become Kaduna State Governor, he discarded their alliances for personal advancement.

“Till today, El Rufai holds grudges with the late President Yar’Adua, who refused to massage his ego through patronage and political appointments.”

The NYF assured the public that Northerners are already sick and tired of El-Rufai’s selfish, manipulative political machinations and myopic worldview that reduces politics to a personal property for him and his lineage. His treachery against every leader since 1999 proves he serves no cause but his ambition.

The NYF reminds El-Rufai of his poor legacy as governor of Kaduna State, where he ruled with an iron fist for 8 consecutive years and ended up as a colossus failure, whose tenure was characterised by insecurity, high-handedness, and policy failures.

The NYF also lambasted El-Rufai’s eight-year tenure as governor of Kaduna State, describing it as a period marked by insecurity, authoritarianism, and poor policy choices.

The group urged youths across Northern Nigeria and beyond to shun divisive politics and instead focus on unity, innovation, and progress.

He said, “Kaduna under El-Rufai became one of the most insecure states in Nigeria, with banditry, kidnapping, and mass killings in areas like Birnin Gwari and Southern Kaduna left abandoned while his government watched. We remind Nigerians that the same El Rufai, who sacked over 22,000 teachers, which led to a crisis in the education sector, and falling standards rather than improvement, cannot offer any better alternative to the masses.

“The organisation further noted that El-Rufai left Kaduna with heavy debt from loans purportedly taken for infrastructural development, yet many projects remain irrelevant to the needs of the people.

“The NYF contended that El Rufai only deepened ethnic and religious fault lines, and thus cannot be trusted with power at the national level, else he will nationalise and widen the fissure of mistrust he had sown in a diverse state like Kaduna.

Read Also: APC knocks El-Rufai for rating Tinubu govt low

“We believe that he is simply seeking to inflame regional tensions with careless political statements to nurse a bruised ego after being rejected by the people and sidelined in national politics. His actions and utterances are rooted not in ideology but in a desperate grasp for relevance and patronage.

“The NYF averred that he no longer enjoys the confidence of his people or political peers. The North is not his fiefdom. We reject his false claims and condemn his attempt to drag the region into petty political fights that serve no one but himself.

“The group urged the youth across Northern Nigeria and beyond to shun divisive rhetoric and focus on building bridges of understanding, unity, and national development. Our future as a region lies in collaboration, innovation, and collective progress, not in the bitter politics of has-beens.

“The NYF remains committed to promoting peace, responsible leadership, and policies that uplift our people across all states in the North.”

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has fired back at former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, following his recent remarks describing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration as incompetent, clannish, and unworthy of a second term.

In a statement issued on Monday in Abuja, APC national publicity secretary, Felix Morka, accused El-Rufai of hypocrisy and political bitterness, especially after his failed attempt to secure a ministerial appointment in the Tinubu-led government.

Reacting to El-Rufai’s comments made at a political gathering in Sokoto, the ruling party likened the former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister’s remarks to the “rantings of a waspish politician” who, it said, embodies the very political failures he now seeks to discredit.

“El-Rufai and his newfound allies in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) are the most confused, clueless, rudderless, and pitiful opposition politicians our country has ever known,” the party said. “They bring nothing to the table except their oversized egos, wild entitlement mentality, obscene desperation, and predatory presidential ambitions.”

The APC accused El-Rufai and other opposition figures of offering empty criticisms without any substantive policy alternatives, particularly on crucial economic reforms.

“All three leading presidential candidates in the 2023 election—including Atiku and Obi—campaigned on promises to remove fuel subsidies and unify foreign exchange rates,” Morka noted. “President Tinubu delivered on those promises. If El-Rufai and his cohorts now oppose these reforms, let them tell Nigerians how they would finance a return to the era of subsidies and manipulated exchange rates that served the likes of El-Rufai, Atiku, and Amaechi.”

Read Also: APC Senator denies defection report

The APC further highlighted what it described as verifiable gains under the Tinubu administration, citing economic recovery, increased oil production (nearly 1.8 million barrels per day), improved power generation, rising consumer confidence, and major infrastructure projects, including over 420 roads and bridges.

“Also, the administration’s achievements include a thriving stock market, strategic military upgrades with 49 advanced aircraft, the launch of the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), and an agricultural revolution in full swing,” the statement added.

Dismissing El-Rufai’s criticisms as “mischievous and hollow,” the party said his condemnation of the government only reflects the frustrations of a “sulking politician” unable to accept his diminishing relevance.

“With tangible signs of national progress across sectors, El-Rufai’s verdict of ‘poor governance’ collapses under the weight of facts,” the APC concluded.

“The rejection of El-Rufai as a Minister cannot justify his allegation of clannishness against the administration. A senseless claim like that can only come from someone who haughtily equates his selfish interest with the interest of an entire ethnic nationality.

“President Tinubu is easily one of the most detribalized and patriotic Nigerians alive. No tribe, ethnic or religious group has been sidelined like El-Rufai wants Nigerians to believe.

“For a former Governor who left a sordid legacy of obnoxious marginalisation of ethnic and religious minorities in Southern Kaduna; who sponsored sectarian violence and weaponised demolitions against innocent citizens; and hung a debt profile of N284 billion on taxpayers, according to the Debt Management Office (DMO), El-Rufai is the poster child of bad governance and failed leadership.”

The party then accused El-Rufai and his cohorts of fanning the flames of disunity and national cohesion.

According to APC, “It is now clear to all Nigerians that El-Rufai and his cohorts in ADC are on a mission to upend the presidential rotational principle designed to promote national unity and cohesion in the country through the imposition of Atiku as presidential candidate of ADC in the middle of a southern presidency rotation. 

“It was Atiku’s selfish and obdurate refusal to respect the rotation principle during the 2023 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primary election that directly resulted in PDP’s virtual cremation. El-Rufai and Atiku want to do to Nigeria what Atiku did to PDP. El-Rufai, Atiku and the hijacked ADC constitute a clear and present threat to the unity, peace and progress of Nigeria.”

The ruling party maintained that the country is witnessing an era of visionary and transformational leadership under President Bola Tinubu. “The administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda has fundamentally repositioned our nation for steady growth and progress.

“We are confident that Nigerians will sustain their support for our great Party and renew President Tinubu’s mandate come 2027, to consolidate on what now looks to be the most outstanding first-term record of achievement of any President in our nation’s history.”

Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai has been denounced by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) as its member. 

The party accused El-Rufai of falsely parading himself as its member, when in actual fact, he had not even registered in his ward.

It also accused the former governor of forgery, manipulation and attempting to destabilise the party through deceptive political manoeuvres.

For his activities, the SDP  slammed him with a 30-year ban from applying for its membership and involvement in any of its activities.

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Araba Aiyenigba, said in a statement yesterday that the decisions were reached by the National Working Committee (NWC)  after thorough investigations of the former governor’s claim of membership in the SDP and his alleged backdoor political activities.

 El-Rufai announced his resignation from the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC)  for the SDP  four months ago.   He had told reporters that he was joining forces with politicians of like mind to form a coalition that would serve as a formidable platform to defeat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027.  

In the statement by Aiyenigba, the SDP said: “ El-Rufai never registered with the SDP at his ward level as required by the party’s constitution, yet falsely declared on social media that he had joined the party.

“He further forged documents claiming membership and took photo opportunities with suspended party leaders to reinforce this falsehood.”

The party added that the former governor’s conduct was marked by “gross indiscipline, misinformation, inducement, and manipulation,” which allegedly fuelled internal divisions and threatened its unity and ideology.

SDP also accused him of aligning with the  African Democratic Congress (ADC) and trying to draw it into an unapproved political coalition.

  “Having confirmed that he publicly declared for the ADC and continued to act in a manner contrary to the principles and practices of the SDP, the party has no option but to disassociate and excommunicate him.

“Consequently, El-Rufai has been banished and banned from applying to the membership, identifying with the name, insignia, logo, or participating in any affairs of the SDP for 30 years, effective immediately,” the party said.

The SDP called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other relevant institutions to take note of El-Rufai’s non-member status.

 Reaffirming its commitment to internal democracy, national patriotism, and principled opposition, the party urged all Nigerians aspiring to become its members to do so through lawful and transparent means.

Read Also: Atiku, Peter Obi should step down for Tinubu’s reelection-Aiyedatiwa

The statement reads in part; “   in line with the constitution of the SDP, the ideology, manifesto, principles and practices thereof, and in consonance with the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act of the exclusive right of a political party to determine its membership, the National Working Committee deliberated on the controversial membership status of Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai from Kaduna State who has in recent months been parading himself as a member of the SDP despite the assertion of the Kaduna State Executives that he has not joined the SDP but has instead been promoting the activities of other political party in the state.

“At the initial stage, this individual Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai was given the benefit of the doubt given his status as an elderly person, a former Minister and State Governor who should know the implications of false representation and impersonation, especially given the fact that he published on his social media handles that he had joined the SDP which led to congratulatory messages from prominent leaders of our party and a letter of support at his request by the National Publicity Secretary.

 “However, upon thorough inquiry, it turned out that the Kaduna State SDP was right, and this individual had not joined the SDP. The following facts emerged: Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai failed to register at his Ward as required by the law despite falsely publishing on social media that he had joined the SDP.

 “El-Rufai devoted so much time to putting up false representation of membership by seeking photo opportunities with the suspended National Chairman Shehu Musa Gabam and some leaders of the SDP who assumed that he had joined the SDP in Kaduna State; El-Rufai was confronted by serious eligibility problems given an unpleasant history of intolerance and persecution of the SDP as an opposition party during his time as the Governor of Kaduna State under the APC;

 “To run away from his past, El-Rufai proposed an elaborate welcome ceremony at the SDP National Secretariat in Abuja, but was politely counselled that such a jamboree was not tenable and he should go home to register at his Ward in Kaduna State after passing a simple eligibility interview and an onboarding process.

 “Rather than register lawfully with the ward executives, this individual simply forged his documents and self-registered and arrogated to himself number 001 in the SDP membership register of Unguwar Sarki Ward, Kaduna North Local Government Area”, as if the ward had no single member before his purported joining. This is contrary to all existing and updated records of the SDP in Kaduna State.

“His dodgy membership status aside, El-Rufai has been illegitimately trading with the name of the SDP in various forums and other political transactions around the so-called Coalition, despite knowing that he has no such authority and contrary to the declared policy of the SDP National Working Committee and other organs.

 “Additionally, despite his opaque status, innumerable have been the destabilising schemes of the said Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai against the SDP at both national, state and local levels, such that peace, which was the hallmark of the SDP, has eluded the party since he began fraternising with our leadership and membership.

 “The NWC therefore and hereby decides that by confirming and ratifying the denunciation of Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai which was earlier done by his Unguwar Sarki Ward, Kaduna North Local Government Area and Kaduna State Executive Committee in Kaduna State, the SDP at all levels disassociates, disclaims,   excommunicates Nasir Ahmad Elrufai as a member of the SDP;  and to the extent that he purportedly claims membership by self -registration or any other means, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai is consequently not regarded as a member of the Social Democratic Party anywhere in Nigeria and globally.”