Ex-Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress of abandoning its fundamental ideals, stating the party is no longer poised at addressing the challenges that necessitated its creation years ago.

The APC chieftain, who spoke at a national conference in Abuja on strengthening democracy in Nigeria on Monday, alleged that the ruling party now operates as a “one-man show,” tagging the state of governance and opposition in the country as a “national emergency.”

“The problems that led to the creation of the APC remain unresolved, but I no longer believe the APC is interested in addressing them. You don’t even know if it is a one-man show; it’s a zero-man show,” the former governor noted.

Mr El-Rufai also bemoaned lack of internal democracy in the APC, acknowledging a lack of connection between him and the ruling party.

He added, “The distance between me and the party is widening. I no longer recognise the APC. No party organ has met in two years—no caucus, no NEC, nothing.”

Mr El-Rufai attributed the challenges in the country to poor leadership, emphasizing the need for political parties to raise their standards for quality leaders to emerge. 

He said, “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.”

Reflecting on the internal issues in major political parties, the former governor urged the opposition to genuinely unite and salvage the country’s democracy.

He added, “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.”

Mr El-Rufai has maintained a cold relationship with the ruling party since the refusal of the Godswill Akpabio-led Senate to confirm the former governor as a minister.

Reacting to a recent article by a US-based scholar, Farooq Kperogi, who alleged a plot by Mr Tinubu to replace Mele Kyari of the NNPCL with yet another Yoruba, Mr El-Rufai asked Mr Tinubu to stop being arrogant, advising the president against politics of exclusion.

However, one of Mr El-Rufai’s kinsmen, Senator Shehu Sani, accused the former governor of whining because President Bola Tinubu’s appointments of individuals into key federal positions did not favour him.