APC leadership under pressure to move against El-Rufai over visit to SDP

The national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has come under pressure to move against former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over alleged anti-party activity.

This followed El-Rufai’s visit to the national headquarters of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Abuja on Thursday, where he allegedly sought to recruit the party into a mega platform.

According to sources close to the SDP headquarters, El-Rufai allegedly plans to lead an emerging mega platform that would wrest power from President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

In a video recording of the meeting, El-Rufai was heard saying “you can post it, I don’t care,” when someone was cautioned against sharing the video on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

Some APC leaders in the North are, however, worried that El-Rufai’s visit and pronouncements during the meeting at the SDP headquarters constitute anti-party activity for which he ought to be severely punished.

They have, therefore, called on the national chairman of the party, Alhaji Umar Ganduje, to immediately convoke a meeting of the National leadership of the APC to decide El-Rufai’s fate before it is too late.

Speaking in a statement in Abuja, Dr. Faruk Ahmed, chairman of Asiwaju Support Group (North), said El-Rufai’s visit to SDP is an open confirmation of rumours that he was working clandestinely against APC and President Tinubu.

According to him, APC must rise and take decisive action on El-Rufai so that he does not spread a virus that would tear the party apart like he did against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) under Goodluck Jonathan.

“We have seen the report of his visit to SDP and through our intelligence network have also established his mission.

“We understand that he is forming a mega party and is recruiting other small political parties to join him. But we won’t allow that to happen. That is why we are calling on our National Chairman to immediately call a meeting of the national leadership of the APC to take decisive action on him before he destroys our party.

“You will recall that this was how he started immediately Jonathan refused to pick him as his vice president and chose Gov. Namadi Sambo instead.

READ ALSO: Atiku’s aide, Bwala, alleges Peter Obi, El-Rufai planning to join SDP for 2027 election

“If you still remember what happened, he had visited Jonathan and lobbied to be his vice president. After that, he started saying good things about Jonathan and praising him. When Namadi Sambo emerged as the vice president, he turned against Jonathan and started to undermine him and he eventually joined APC.

“Now, we see him doing exactly the same because President Tinubu did not make him a minister. APC must step in and take proper action so that what happened before does not repeat itself.

“You heard him in the video, say, “I don’t care.” That means he knows what he is up to and the consequences. It is that consequence that we now want the APC leadership to act on,” Dr. Ahmed said.

Meanwhile, El-Rufai’s spokesman, Muyiwa Adekeye, has denied any plans by his principal to decamp the APC or work against the party in 2027 saying insinuations towards that are effects of “obsession with politics”.

He said El-Rufai only returned the Iftar visit by the SDP National Chairman, Alhaji Shehu Musa Gabam, adding that there was nothing of politics in the meeting.

“I consider the most recent speculations about Malam Nasir El-Rufai as reflecting an unhealthy obsession with politics.

“People have personal histories and relationships that predate political affiliations. It can not be a hallmark of civilisation to have friends from within only your political party. When people visit each other or mingle across party lines, it is because human relationships exist, distinct from the political or the partisan,” he said.

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