Former Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has stressed that his political loyalty has always been to Nigeria and not to individuals or parties.
Speaking during a visit to the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II, El-Rufai recalled writing to former President Muhammadu Buhari when he saw things going wrong under his leadership, including opposing the naira redesign policy.
“When things began to go wrong under President Buhari, I wrote to him warning about the dangers – and when the naira redesign policy also hurt Nigerians.
“I challenged it in court, even though it was an APC-led government. I have never been loyal to individuals over the nation.”
El-Rufai, who recently defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), said he was in Kano due to its significance in Nigerian politics, noting its consistently high voter turnout.
“Kano is critical to any serious political formation because of its consistently high voter turnout.
“After joining the SDP, it was important to come and engage with stakeholders here (in Kano).
“Twelve years ago, we merged three major parties to form the APC and defeated an incumbent president. But now, the goal is different.
“We are bringing together disaffected members across political divides under an existing platform — the SDP — which we believe has the best pedigree and potential.”
He said the importance of building a trustworthy political alternative to address the country’s crisis.
Reflecting on past experiences, El-Rufai criticised godfatherism for damaging both the PDP and APC and advocated for a political system rooted in fairness and internal democracy, which he believes the SDP can offer.
“We have seen how godfatherism destroyed the PDP and is now wrecking the APC. Nigerians deserve a party built on fairness, internal democracy, and equal opportunity; the SDP can be that alternative.”
“A governor only has one vote. Elections are won by the people, not by politicians. Our focus is on mobilising ordinary Nigerians, not chasing high-profile defections,” El-Rufai said.
