Former Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State has said ex-President Muhammadu Buhari gave him his unflinching support to decamp to the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
The decision by el-Rufai to decamp on Monday elicited fears that his followers may decide to join him in his new party. It would be recalled that before the 2023 elections, Buhari, who served out two terms as President on the platform of the APC, allegedly supported then Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, as his successor, as against the front runner, Bola Tinubu, who won the presidential poll.
Since e-Rufai’s defection, rumours have heightened that ministers under the Buhari administration would also leave to form a coalition in the SDP to defeat Tinubu, who is touted to seek re-election in 2027.
Amid fears that the APC is increasingly heading for break-up in the North, el-Rufai, in an interview on BBC Hausa monitored in Kaduna yesterday, said he does not take a major decision without first consulting Buhari.
He said: “There are certain people that before I do any major thing or make any decision I consult and anything they ask me not to do, I don’t do, and former President Muhammadu Buhari is among them.
“I consulted Buhari before leaving the APC. It was on a Friday when I went and met him. I hardly make any major decisions without consulting him. I told him to pray for me, and give me his blessings, which he did.”
The politician added: “When I was governor of Kaduna; before I appointed my commissioners, I took the list to Buhari for cross-checking to see if from among them someone ever insulted him.
“He (Buhari) laughed, thanked me and told me you can go ahead and appoint commissioners.” The ex-governor, however, maintained that he does not have a godfather in politics, but admitted that he had certain people he seeks advice from whenever he wishes.
He restated his leaving the ruling party thus: “The APC has abandoned the principles that led to its establishment. It has abandoned the community.”
EQUALLY, Chief Security Officer (CSO) to the late General Sani Abacha, MajorHamza Al-Mustapha, has officially joined the SDP, marking a new phase in his political journey to promote national development.
Accompanied by his team, Al-Mustapha arrived at the SDP headquarters in Abuja, where he was warmly received by party leaders and supporters.
He said his move signals his commitment to leadership based on justice, security, and progress. His defection comes days after el-Rufai pitched a tent with the opposition party.
Al-Mustapha was CSO to the late former military ruler, General Sani Abacha, during his administration from 1993 to 1998. He was known as one of Abacha’s closest associates during the military regime.
