El-Rufai breaks the silence by revealing what is responsible for Nigeria’s poor leadership

Keep up with the latest news and be part of our weekly giveaways and airtime sharing; follow our WhatsApp channel for more updates. Click to Follow us

Malam Nasir el-Rufai, former Governor of Kaduna State, has stated that the country’s problem with bad leadership stems from the leadership recruiting process, pointing out that a large number of delegates who elect candidates in political parties are illiterate.

El-Rufai made the claim on Tuesday in Abuja while meeting with journalists at the conclusion of a two-day national conference on promoting democracy in Nigeria, hosted by Centre LSD And Partners.

Contrary to previous allegations, he stated that he has no intention of leaving the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The former governor claimed he was simply being hard on his party because he wanted it to evolve.

On January 8, el-Rufai had met behind closed doors with the leadership of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.

Among those present at the meeting were former Chief Security Officer to the late Gen. Sani Abacha, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (rtd), and Segun Showunmi, Atiku’s former spokesman.

In a post on his verified Facebook page, Showunmi described the conference as a “strategic gathering” organised by SDP chairman Shehu Gabam to assess the state of opposition politics in Nigeria.

The decision, however, was generally interpreted as part of ongoing efforts to construct a powerful coalition capable of toppling the APC and President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

But El-Rufai said on Tuesday, “I am not leaving the APC. I don’t have such plans.”

He did, however, express concern about the ruling party’s lack of internal democratic processes.

The former governor of Kaduna State has questioned the quality of leadership emerging from political parties, attributing it to unqualified delegates.

He said, “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 or it’s a zero-man show.

“You cannot afford to have illiterates, semi-illiterates, and cunning people as your leaders. This is why we end up with the poor leadership we have today.”

According to El-Rufai, the APC was founded with the intention of combating corruption, rebuilding the economy, and improving security, but those goals have been abandoned.

“The problems that led to the creation of the APC remain unresolved, but I no longer believe the APC is interested in addressing them,” he stated.

“The distance between me and the party is widening,” el-Rufai added, alleging that the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is employing mercenaries to destroy the party.

He explained, “There are internal mercenaries in the PDP, hired and motivated to destroy the party. The Labour Party is also facing similar issues.

“Peter Obi himself told me, ‘I don’t know what’s happening in the party I contested with.’ There seems to be a deliberate project to destroy opposition parties.”

In response to the former governor’s comments, Special Adviser on Public Communications and Media to the President Daniel Bwala questioned if el-Rufai would have maintained the same view if he was still in office.

Bwala wrote in response to the former governor of Kaduna State, “My senior brother, if you were to be in the government and cabinet, would you have held and expressed the same position? History is replete with examples.

“It is a government you participated in its formation, that you now want to unseat. Haba Mallam, a Ji soron Allah mana.”

Nonetheless, the democracy conference concluded that centralising the election management system had a negative impact on the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) efficiency and efficacy.

In a statement issued yesterday, the conference urged INEC to expand the space for political participation by permitting the registration of new political parties, as mandated by the constitution.

Reading the statement on behalf of the organisers, Dr. Otive Igbuzor and Ezenwa Nwagu voiced concern that there appeared to be covert measures by politicians in power to install their cronies in INEC ahead of the next election.

The communique stated, “INEC should promote the decentralisation of election management in Nigeria to enhance efficiency, transparency, and inclusivity by empowering regional and local structures to oversee electoral processes, address logistical challenges, and engage communities more effectively.

“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.”

Please don’t forget to “Allow the notification” so you will be the first to get our gist when we publish it. 
Drop your comment in the section below, and don’t forget to share the post.