‘APC Cannot Afford To Lose El-Rufai To Rival Party, His Is Smarter Than Tinubu’s Ministers’– Igbokwe

An All Progressives Congress, APC, chieftain, Joe Igbokwe, has said the ruling party cannot afford to lose the former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.

Naija News reports that El-Rufai recently declared at an event in Abuja that he no longer recognizes the ruling party, saying the APC no longer practices internal democracy.

In response, the APC described the former Governor as a desperate politician whose only goal is to shore up political relevance in the build-up to the 2027 general elections.

Reacting, Igbokwe, in a post via his Facebook page on Wednesday, claimed that El-Rufai is more clever, smarter and bolder than all of President Bola Tinubu’s ministers.

According to him, some bigwigs like El-rufai were responsible for Tinubu’s victory in 2023, and it was unfortunate to see that some cabals in the government frustrated his appointment after being nominated as minister.

He wrote, “All things considered, APC Nigeria needs the former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai. He worked so hard for APC during the 2023 Presidential and Governorship Elections.

“I am a witness to how Gov El- Rufai, former Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State and one other Governor went to stop the criminal Emefiele’s dubious money policy that was targeted at PBAT which nearly truncated PBAT victory. I also remember the excruciating efforts he put down to retain kaduna for APC.

“HE El-Rufai was nominated as a Minister and we allowed shenanigans and people without honour to come to hallowed chambers of the Senate to stop his nomination for reasons we do not know. If reality is to prevail he was supposed to take a bow, just walk away.

“APC allowed the interlopers to walk away with their sadistic tendencies. Now let me ask this question: Of what meat are they fed? Who among all the Ministers in the Federal Cabinet that is greater, smarter, bolder, more clever, proficient and deeper than Mallam El Rufai?

“Neglecting and ignoring our own scholar in the finest and best tradition is incomprehensible and totally unacceptable. May we never forget this stormy petrel with loads of capacity and capability. Malam El Rufai na man oooooo.

“For whatever reasons APC NIGERIA must not ignore this great man. We cannot afford to lose him to the rival party. He is one of the strong characters we cannot afford to lose at a time like this. Case rested”.