Buhari’s ex-ministers lead APC defection train to SDP

Abubakar Malami, Senator Ahmed Lawan, Abdullahi Adamu

 

There are strong indications that some former ministers of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari will move en masse to the Social Democratic Party.

A senator in the ninth Assembly, who spoke to Saturday PUNCH on condition of anonymity, said at least 10 former members of the Buhari cabinet were moving to the SDP.

“What they’re waiting for is the finalisation of the party structure in their respective states,” the source said.

Our correspondents gathered that leading Buhari’s loyalists in the defections are the former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Adamu; ex-Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami; and former Senate President, Ahmed Lawan.

El-Rufai makes first move

One of Buhari’s loyalists and former governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, on Monday, defected to the SDP, citing a growing misalignment between his personal values and the current direction of the APC as the primary reason for his decision.

“Developments in the last two years confirm that those who currently control and run the APC do not desire to acknowledge, much less address, the party’s unhealthy situation.

“I have raised concerns in private and, more recently, in public regarding the party’s capricious trajectory. Therefore, at this point in my political journey, I have come to the conclusion that I must seek another political platform to pursue the progressive values I cherish,” he said.

El-Rufai, who is a vocal critic of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, disclosed on Wednesday that he sought Buhari’s approval before leaving the APC.

“I left the APC with his (Buhari’s) full knowledge. I visited him on a Friday and informed him of my decision to leave the party because I involve and consult with him on all my matters.

“I have those I consult with in everything I do. I inform them of anything I intend to do, and when they demand that I keep off, I do. My first godfather is Muhammadu Buhari.

“For the rest, I will not mention them because if I do, they’ll be pressured,” El-Rufai told the BBC Hausa service in an interview.

CPC bloc to work against Tinubu

El-Rufai’s defection and Buhari’s purported approval opened a floodgate of defections as some other members of the APC in the North, especially those of CPC extraction, have also been dumping the party.

Buhari, El-Rufai, Malami, and Lawan were leaders of the Congress for Progress Change until the party joined the Action Congress of Nigeria, a part of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, and members of the New Peoples Democratic Party to form the APC in 2013.

The former Kaduna governor’s statement also revealed the long-talked-about coalition involving some aggrieved leaders of the APC.

 

Things are going awry every day. APC bigwigs, both in the North and South, are not happy, and the President doesn’t care. You don’t grow by reducing in size. The APC is reducing in size.

“The CPC bloc of the party has also been leaving. You will agree with me that the CPC is a strong bloc in the APC, and if it is gone, I doubt if the APC will remain the same.

“Those leaving the APC are foundation members who have genuine followers. Apart from El-Rufai, other former governors are also involved in the political movement. These are not paperweight politicians.”

 

Similarly, a former Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Solomon Lalong, in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, said he was aware that many Nigerians, including former ministers, were involved in some political discussions.

Lalong, who left the APC for the SDP in 2022, said, “We are in discussions with many people across the country, including former ministers and senators. But because it is at the level of discussion, I will have to protect their identities.

“However, I can assure you that, from what is going on, a large number of the political class from across the political parties in Nigeria are coming together to have a common front.

“This problem Tinubu found himself in is self-inflicted. It is caused by his ego. He is an egoistic personality who sees himself as an emperor. He thinks he has conquered Nigeria. But I’m telling you that unless he changes his method of governance, we will soon know who Nigerians are.”

Lalong also accused President Tinubu of not treating Buhari fairly.

“The two of them aligned in 2014 to form the APC, which won the election. Buhari conceded the vice president to Tinubu and five other ministers, and he supported his presidential ambition.

“Currently, Tinubu cannot mention a single special adviser he considered for Buhari in his administration. The President is not treating Buhari fairly,” he added.

Aregbesola’s media adviser, Sola Fasure, declined to comment on the purported plan by the former Minister of Interior to join the SDP.

“We will talk about our political movement at the right time,” he said.

But one of Aregbesola’s loyalists, who spoke to Saturday PUNCH on condition of anonymity, said the former governor had been invited to join the SDP.

According to the insider, Aregbesola is part of a political movement involving some of his colleagues from the Buhari administration and other prominent politicians in the country.

He said, “I can’t confirm whether it is the SDP we are joining, but I know there is an ongoing political movement. Some ministers and former APC officials are involved.

“The movement is even bigger than any single political party. From my understanding, even if we join the SDP, the African Democratic Congress, or any other party, it will only serve as a structure. Eventually, all these smaller parties will collapse into a coalition in 2027. A coalition is the main game.” (Saturday PUNCH)

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