The All Progressives Congress (APC), has launched a blistering attack on former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, over his recent criticisms of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, describing him as a “political clown” driven by personal disappointment and failed ambition.
In a strongly worded statement released on Monday and signed by APC National Publicity, Felix Morka, the ruling party said El-Rufai’s outburst during a political meeting in Sokoto on Saturday, August 2, was borne out of bitterness following his unsuccessful bid for a ministerial appointment.
“Since his failed bid for a ministerial appointment, former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has gone into a political tailspin. His speedy fall from commanding heights to the political clown he has become needs forensic study,” the party said.
The APC dismissed El-Rufai’s criticisms of Tinubu’s administration as “mischievous and hollow,” especially his claims of incompetence and clannishness.
The party defended the president’s record, highlighting ongoing reforms and developments across sectors, including economic recovery, agricultural transformation, improved power generation, oil production increases, and ongoing infrastructure projects.
The statement also accused El-Rufai of partnering with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to destabilise the country’s political balance.
It claimed that El-Rufai, alongside former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and other opposition figures, is attempting to sabotage the principle of power rotation by pushing Atiku as the ADC’s presidential candidate in the middle of a southern presidency.
“El-Rufai and his cohorts in ADC are the most confused, clueless, rudderless and pitiful opposition politicians our country has ever known. They bring nothing to the political table except their oversized ego, wild entitlement mentality, obscene desperation and predatory presidential ambitions,” the APC said.
On the issue of subsidy removal and foreign exchange reform, the APC noted that all major candidates in the 2023 election, including Atiku and Peter Obi, had campaigned on similar reforms.
The party accused them of hypocrisy for now criticizing the implementation of those same policies under President Tinubu.
“If El-Rufai and his cohorts detest the administration’s policy reforms as much as they claim, why have they not presented policy proposals to restore fuel subsidy or return to the era of fixing the Naira’s value?” the statement queried.
The party further accused El-Rufai of ethnic and religious bias during his tenure as Kaduna governor, referencing alleged marginalisation in Southern Kaduna and a legacy of debt and “weaponised demolitions.”
Dismissing claims that Tinubu’s administration is clannish, the APC called the president one of the “most detribalized and patriotic Nigerians alive,” adding that no ethnic or religious group has been sidelined.
The statement ended with a strong defense of the administration’s performance and expressed confidence in a renewed mandate for President Tinubu in 2027.
“Nigeria is witnessing an era of visionary and transformational leadership under President Bola Tinubu. The administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda has fundamentally repositioned our nation for steady growth and progress. El-Rufai, Atiku and the hijacked ADC constitute a clear and present threat to the unity, peace and progress of Nigeria,” the party declared.
The APC affirmed that Nigerians would continue to support the party and its leader, declaring that President Tinubu is on track to deliver “the most outstanding first term record of any president in our nation’s history.”
