President Tinubu’s Former Ally, Nasir El-Rufai has denied alleged plots of dumping APC.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that the Former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has denied speculations in some quarters that he was preparing to leave the All Progressives Congress (APC).
El-Rufai, who was cornered by newsmen, Tuesday at the venue of the just concluded National Conference in Abuja, said he was hard on the party to ensure they do the right thing.
“I am not leaving the APC. I don’t have such plans,” he said.
Asked further why he was hard on the party, he said: “No, no, no, I want them to change.”
The former governor was reported on Monday to have taken a swipe at his party, APC, accusing it of abandoning its founding principles and fostering poor leadership.
El-Rufai lamented the alleged lack of internal democracy and active party structures within the APC, saying, “I no longer recognise the APC. No party organ has met in two years—no caucus, no NEC, nothing. You don’t even know if it is a one-man show; it’s a zero-man show.”
Meanwhile, to strengthen democracy in Nigeria, the conference recommended that all opposition parties should unite and form a strong, viable coalition against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general election.
The conference also submitted that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should allow the registration of new political parties as enshrined in the constitution.
The two-day National Conference was organised by a coalition of civil society organisations which include African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD), Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WfD), Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA) and National Peace Committee.
Reading the communique on behalf of the organisers, one of the conveners, Ezenwa Nwagwu, said the 25 years of democracy in Nigeria has not translated into the deepening of democratic values or institutions, instead, systemic issues such as electoral malpractice, political party inefficiencies, weak governance structures, and endemic corruption have eroded public trust in the democratic process.
Ezenwa said the conference agreed that political parties should adopt innovative strategies for raising funds to support their operations, ensuring financial independence and sustainability to minimise state capture and corrupt tendencies.
“Opposition Political parties must unite to form a strong, viable coalition that ensures checks and balances, promotes accountability, and fosters healthy political discourse to protect the integrity of the democratic process.
“INEC should undertake a review of its internal processes to incorporate ward-level collation of results and ensure strict adherence to the electoral guidelines as mandated.
“Technology should be integrated into the electoral process to enhance accountability and transparency, aligning with global best practices and ensuring the credibility of the election outcomes.
“INEC should live up to its billing of strengthening political parties through its regulatory function to ensure internal democracy is entrenched in political parties,” he said.
Ezenwa noted that the conference urged the legislature to actively fulfil its oversight, lawmaking, and representation responsibilities, as a functional legislature is essential for a thriving democracy.
“The proposals before the National Assembly seeking to reform the electoral process should be prioritised by the 10th Assembly. This should include other structural reforms of the electoral system including the “winner-takes-all” system.
“Considering the limited timeframe to the next general elections, the National Assembly should prioritise the review of the Electoral Act,” he said.
The conveners said it was agreed that electoral offenders should be prosecuted under the law, as this would serve as a strong deterrent to others.
