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Says El-Rufai is free to join other parties
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Insists APC is happy opposition parties are in disarray
From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has boasted that it will do everything within its powers to win the forthcoming November 2025 off-cycle governorship election in Anambra State.
National Secretary of the party, Ajibola Bashiru, made this disclosure in Abuja while featuring on a television programme on Wednesday. He stated that the party is desperate to add Anambra to the growing list of states under the platform of the party in the South East geopolitical zone.
Dismissing attacks from former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, on the party, the APC’s chief scribe quipped that the party is not distracted and is concentrating its energy on clinching victory in Anambra State.
“I will not know whether El-Rufai has issues with the party on the account that he was not made a minister. To the best of my knowledge, I don’t think he has been a subject of discussion in any of our NWC meetings or programmes in a negative manner.
“As far as we are concerned, we are focused on the delivery of the mandate of our party as a leadership recruitment platform. We are focused on delivering the incoming election. INEC will soon release the notice of election for Anambra State, and our party is poised to take over leadership in Anambra State as the party that has more states in the South East geopolitical zone.
“We are also poised to work assiduously to take over the mantle of leadership in other states like Ekiti and Osun states,” he said.
Asked if he was bothered by the possibility of El-Rufai considering joining another party, he said: “In Nigeria, I don’t think that there is rigidity in terms of movement from one political party to another, except for some of us born into the Awolowo political dynasty. I think that there is fluidity in terms of movement of people from one political party to another.”
“Of late, we have been seeing possible meetings and his pictures with the Chairman of the ADP, and if he wants to move, it is part of the right of every Nigerian to leave any political party.
“You know that even the candidate of the PDP in the 2023 election has moved from the ACN to APC to PDP, all for the quest for power. It is his choice as an individual, and nobody can abridge his democratic choice. As far as we are concerned, our party in Kaduna State is waxing stronger. We have held a local government election, and Governor Uba Sani is delivering the dividend of democracy for the people of Kaduna State.
“We want El-Rufai to team up with him so that our people can have the dividend of democracy. It is his personal choice whether to leave the APC or not, and I don’t know what his motive is in toeing that line of action,” he noted, adding that it is not also El-Rufai’s birthright to be a minister.
On allegations that APC is working to mortgage opposition parties in Nigeria, Bashiru said: “As a leader of the APC, should he not be happy that the opposition to his political party is not getting itself right? Is it APC that went to Wadata today to cause a crisis?”
“This is a competition… As a political party, our concern is to win elections with people who fly the flag of our party. So, as far as other parties are concerned, let them get their acts together. If they don’t get their acts right, how does it concern our party?
“Our job as a political party is to win all elections and present candidates to win such elections. So, it will not be that when some other political parties have enmeshed themselves in crisis, which at times is self-induced, is it APC that asked some people to sit in the sitting room of a governor to purportedly remove the national chairman of the Labour Party – Abure? Is it APC that went to court, or is it APC that is the court of appeal that reinstated Abure as the national chairman of the Labour Party?
“Is it APC that is trying to create division within the rank and file of the BOT of the PDP? If you have political parties that are not doing well, is it our job to help them put their house in order? In fact, speaking frankly, we should be happy that they are getting weakened. That means that our party will be the only party of choice for anybody aspiring for progressive leadership in Nigeria.
“So, we wish them the best of luck if they are able to resolve their problems, but as a politician, you want to win and win creditably well in all elections for your political party,” he said.
