The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described the recent comments by Nasir El-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna, as the “bitter outbursts of a failed politician” who is still upset over being denied a ministerial appointment.
In a statement on Monday, Felix Morka, national publicity secretary of the APC, said El-Rufai has been in a “political tailspin” since President Bola Tinubu declined to offer him a place in his cabinet.
Speaking during a meeting in Sokoto on August 2, El-Rufai had accused the Tinubu administration of being “clannish”, “incompetent” and “undeserving of a second term”.
But Morka said the remarks were “mischievous and hollow”, and insisted the former governor had offered no meaningful alternative to the administration’s economic reforms.
“The removal of fuel subsidy and unification of the exchange rate were policies backed by all major presidential candidates in the 2023 elections — including Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi,” he said.
He said those now criticising the reforms must explain how they would fund the return of fuel subsidy or multiple exchange rates “without crashing the economy”.
The party listed what it described as “verifiable progress” under Tinubu’s government — including improvements in oil production, agriculture, power generation, stock market performance, and infrastructure.
It also cited initiatives such as the NELFUND student loan scheme and renewed military capability as markers of success.
The APC accused El-Rufai and Atiku of plotting to impose the former vice-president as the 2027 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), warning that such a move would undermine power rotation and threaten national unity.
The party claimed the move mirrored what it called Atiku’s “divisive role” in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the 2023 polls.
Reaffirming its support for Tinubu, the APC said the Renewed Hope Agenda had put Nigeria on “a path of steady growth and transformation”.