The Presidency on Monday, wrote off former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai’s move to woo opposition figures towards unseating President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election.
It accused el-Rufai of being driven by “an inordinate ambition that is destined to fail” in his defection to the Social Democratic Party.
The Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communications, Daniel Bwala, in a statement on Monday, said el-Rufai’s cross over to the SDP was a flawed move if he intended to unseat the governing party.
He said el-Rufai has the constitutional right to change parties, but added that his motives will be closely monitored in the coming days.
Bwala, in a post on his verified X handle, @DanielBwala, downplayed el-Rufai’s political significance in politics, arguing that his relevance was neither sudden nor extraordinary.
According to Bwala, the former governor’s decision to side with opposition figures to unseat the incumbent government was not necessarily an ideological change.
Bwala wrote, “Senior, @elrufai, I read the news today that you resigned from APC to join SDP. Well, I have nothing against you because you exercised your constitutional right.
“However, the motive is what we would interrogate in the coming days and remind Nigerians that you are not a phenomenon that emerges like a clap of thunder out of a blue sky.
“We would intellectually remind you that associating with sore losers to unseat the incumbent is not an ideology, neither is it progressivism; it is simply an inordinate ambition that is destined to fail.”
The former governor on Monday defected from the APC to the opposition SDP, vowing to mobilise against the APC government in 2027.
“I will focus on engaging with and persuading other opposition leaders and parties to join us and congregate under a unified democratic platform to challenge the APC in all elections and by-elections,” El-Rufai stated.
He accused the APC leadership of failure to correct mistakes in the party, just as he expressed disappointment that over the past two years, the party had strayed from its progressive principles.
He highlighted his previous efforts to address internal issues privately and publicly, which he felt were ignored, leading to his decision to seek an alternative platform that aligns with his values.
