El-Rufai blasts APC after defection: ‘They should have expelled me’

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has expressed his dissatisfaction with the All Progressives Congress (APC), stating that the party should have expelled him before his defection.

El-Rufai, who recently joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP), declared that he had severed ties with the APC, even challenging the party’s leadership to ‘eat the party if it is food.’

Speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa Service, the former governor emphasized that his decision to leave the APC stemmed from a fundamental misalignment between his personal values and the party’s current trajectory.

He lamented that the ruling party had deviated from the progressive principles on which it was founded, leading to his eventual defection.

“Well, it would have been better for me if they expelled me. I have stated many times that APC would be my last political party,” El-Rufai remarked.

He further explained that being expelled from the APC would have saved him from the burden of explaining his departure.

According to him, the party’s failure to uphold its founding ideals forced him to make the difficult decision to walk away.

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“Had they expelled me, they would have saved me the trouble of explaining why I left the APC. As I said, I have not left the APC, but the APC rather left me,” he asserted.

The former governor’s defection to the SDP has sparked significant political discourse, as he had previously been regarded as a staunch member of the APC.

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His departure is seen as a major shift in the political landscape, particularly given his influence within Kaduna State and the broader northern political sphere.

El-Rufai did not hold back in his criticism of the APC leadership, accusing them of abandoning the core values that initially attracted him and other progressive-minded politicians to the party.

“What next? I quit their party, and I challenge them to eat the party if it is food,” he concluded defiantly.

His comments have stirred reactions within political circles, with some viewing his departure as a significant loss for the APC, while others argue that it is a natural consequence of internal party dynamics. Whether his move to the SDP signals a broader realignment in Nigerian politics remains to be seen.