El-Rufai: Atiku didn’t contribute a dime to APC in 2015

Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state, says former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar did not contribute anything to the 2015 presidential campaign of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Abubakar had accused the government of President Muhammadu Buhari of sidelining him despite his contributions to bringing it to power.‎

But speaking on ‘Democracy Today’, a Voice of America (VOA) Hausa service programme, which also featured Abubakar, el-Rufai said the former number two citizen did not contribute a dime to the campaign.

He asked Abubakar to provide evidence of how much he paid and to whom he paid it to.

“Agreed, in politics if you lose even only one person, it should worry you, but the utterances of the former vice-president that APC used his money,who did he give the money to?” El-Rufai asked.

“For me, I know those that supported us with their money and property that we used during election, and I never heard the name of Atiku that he brought a dime.

“If Atiku said he brought money, who did he give it to? Let him come and say it and how much did he give and what was it used for?

“And, in fact, if Atiku brought money, I ought to know, because I was part of the leadership of the party and during campaign, along with former Governor Rotimi Amaechi.

“We were at the centre of the presidential campaign. Therefore, we are supposed to know. So, let him mention who he gave the money and how much?”

The governor also said Abubakar defected from the APC because he knew he might not get the presidential ticket, even if Buhari decides not to seek re-election.

He said he could not lose sleep over Abubakar’s presidential ambition, adding that “this is the reign of President Muhammadu Buhari.”

“We in the APC were aware from the outset that Atiku was going to leave the APC back to the PDP in December and we thank God that he left in November,” he said.

“Atiku had seen that we in the APC, especially the APC governors, had resolved to support President Muhammadu Buhari to run again in 2019.

“Even if President Buhari decides not to contest, Atiku knows that the APC ticket is not sure for him.

“That is why he left APC since he was only looking for where to contest for president.

“So, by 2019, we are waiting to see Atiku contest; we are waiting to contest against him and see what happens. I cannot lose sleep because Atiku wants to contest because, by God’s grace, this is the reign of President Muhammadu Buhari.”