Temisan Olaifa
A former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, says he has never been loyal to individuals over the nation.
He said he has demonstrated this with his political moves which he said have always been guided by loyalty to Nigeria, not to individuals or political parties.
He spoke on Monday when he visited the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II, in his palace.
He said when things started going wrong under the regime of former President Muhammadu Buhadu, he wrote him a letter.
He said, “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.”
He said he was in Kano because of the importance of the state ‘‘because Kano is critical of any serious political formation because of its consistently high voter turnout”.
The former governor recently defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress to the Social Democratic Party.
He said the country needs a trustworthy political alternative to save the country from its existential crisis.
According to him, “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.’’
El-Rufai, who was a minister of the Federal Capital Territory under the government of former President Olusegun Obasanjo said godfatherism destroyed the PDP.
“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,” he said.
