Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna, says opposition leaders doubt the possibility of registering a new political party under the current leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Some opposition leaders rooting to form a coalition against President Bola Tinubu have applied to the INEC to register the All Democratic Alliance (ADA) as a political party ahead of the 2027 general election.
The coalition is spearheaded by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and el-Rufai.
However, while speaking on Monday during his appearance on the ‘Prime Time’, an Arise Television programme, el-Rufai said there is widespread scepticism among opposition leaders regarding INEC’s willingness under the leadership of Mahmood Yakubu, its chairman, to approve new party registration.
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The former governor of Kaduna drew a comparison between the incumbent INEC chairman and his predecessor, Attahiru Jega, under whose leadership the All Progressives Congress (APC) was registered.
“Many of us do not believe that under the current leadership of INEC, a new party would be registered because Mahmood Yakubu is not Jega and President Tinubu is not Jonathan. Those were the people in charge when APC was registered,” he said.
Despite forming ADA, el-Rufai maintained that the Social Democratic Party (SDP) remains the ideal platform for opposition coalition, citing its history, legacy, and sentimental value.
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He said if consensus is reached on a common platform, opposition leaders are prepared to abandon their legacy parties to unite under one banner.
“I strongly believe that SDP is the best platform for the coalition because it has a history, a legacy, sentimental value and everything about it is almost perfect. I am advocating for that amongst my colleagues,” he said.
He also criticised the current administration of President Bola Tinubu, citing a 91 percent disapproval rating and describing it as “the worst in history”.
El-Rufai said Nigerians are seeking credible alternatives and urged political actors to set aside personal ambitions to address the country’s challenges.
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“There is 91 percent disapproval of this administration. The worst in history, but Nigerians are looking for a credible option,” he said.
“They want to see people coming together, putting aside their differences and ambition to remove this failure of a government.
“I have no ambition; I just feel like having contributed to bringing about this tragedy to Nigeria by contributing to the emergence of Bola Tinubu as president, I should, in my last lap, contribute to removing this evil that I believe will destroy Nigeria if left unchecked.”
‘TINUBU NEVER LIKED ME’
On his personal relationship with the president, el-Rufai said, “Bola Tinubu never really liked me, but we never really got along. In the party, I was Buhari’s boy”.
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The former governor added that he was closer to Bisi Akande, former governor of Osun and a chieftain of the APC.
“The person I got along with was Baba Akande,” he said.
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