The National Vice Chairman (South-East) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ijeomah Arodiogbu, has rubbished concerns that former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai’s defection to the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP) will impact the ruling party or President Bola Tinubu’s re-election prospects.
El-Rufai officially dumped the APC on Monday, announcing his plan to mobilize opposition forces to challenge Tinubu and the ruling party in the 2027 general elections.
“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 declared.
Reacting to El-Rufai’s defection, the presidency and the APC dismissed his ambition as unrealistic, claiming his efforts are driven by “an inordinate ambition that is destined to fail.”
Arodiogbu, in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, described the former governor as “a spent force” whose departure will have no significant effect on the APC in Kaduna or at the national level.
“El-Rufai has angered and alienated many people from different backgrounds, and he has become a political outcast. Even the Christian community will take more than a decade to forgive him for the controversial remarks he made after President Tinubu’s victory in the last presidential election,” Arodiogbu stated.
A former Minister of Communications and APC chieftain, Adebayo Shittu, also weighed in, arguing that El-Rufai’s defection was a miscalculated move.
He noted that despite early challenges faced by Tinubu’s administration—especially regarding fuel subsidy removal—the government’s support base continues to grow.
“A lot of people who were once in the PDP and Labour Party are now joining the APC in droves. The defection of El-Rufai will not harm the party or President Tinubu’s re-election prospects,” he said.
Shittu further revealed that some of El-Rufai’s former allies, unhappy with his actions, have begun switching allegiance to the APC in Kaduna.
He expressed confidence in Tinubu’s chances of securing a second term, particularly in regions where the APC struggled in 2023.
“The government in Kaduna is doing well and garnering support for President Tinubu.
“Things are improving, and I pray that God continues to guide the President so that he can make the right decisions for the benefit of Nigeria,” he added.
