‘Selfishness and delusion of grandeur’ — APC knocks el-Rufai for inviting opposition leaders to SDP

The All Progressives Congress (APC) says Nasir el-Rufai’s invitation to opposition leaders to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP) “is nothing short of an invitation to drink from a chalice poisoned by selfishness, vengefulness and delusion of grandeur”.

On March 10, el-Rufai resigned his membership of the APC and joined the SDP after months of strategic meetings with opposition party leaders.

El-rufai, who served as governor of Kaduna from 2015 to 2023, has been critical of President Bola Tinubu’s administration and the APC in recent months.

“Nigerians are far more savvy than El-Rufai thinks, and they know that he is driven by raw self-interest rather than a genuine concern for the country,” Felix Morka, APC national publicity secretary, said in a statement on Monday.

Morka said the ruling party is unfazed by “El-Rufai’s grudge-laden tirade”.

According to Morka, the APC has continued to welcome millions of new members across the country, “who are joining to identify with the party’s lofty values and support President Tinubu’s bold and transformative policies now birthing sustainable growth and prosperity for our country”.

“El-Rufai’s claim that Tinubu has failed is as outrageous as it is bogus, and a gross distortion of the reality on the ground,” the APC spokesperson added.

“Across all sectors, Nigerians are witnessing tangible progress in the delivery of the President’s campaign promises. Indisputably, Nigeria is better off today than when he took office. ”

He said Nigerians are in no doubt “about President Tinubu’s uncompromising commitment to economic reform, good governance, and improving the welfare of Nigerians”.

He challenged the former governor to “offer constructive criticism or alternative policies as expected of serious minded political opposition, rather than engaging in scurrilous propaganda and deliberate misinformation”.

Morka said el-Rufai’s misleading rhetoric and personal attacks on the president are reprehensible and calculated to undermine the country’s progress.

“El-Rufai is free to choose his political affiliation as he has done. He should quit sulking, get a grip, and salvage some respectability,” he said.