Politics
El-Rufai still with us, APC chieftain insists ex-gov remains a stakeholder
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress and former Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Dr Bashir Jamoh, has said the Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, remains a stakeholder in the ruling party.
Jamoh made the declaration amid swirling speculations about the former Kaduna State governor’s political allegiance during a press conference with journalists in Kaduna on Thursday, where he addressed recent claims linking El-Rufai with opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The former NIMASA boss acknowledged El-Rufai’s recent mention of other parties such as the Social Democratic Party and the African Democratic Congress, but insisted the former governor has not left the APC in any official capacity.
He said, “As far as I’m concerned, this is my opinion — Malam Nasir El-Rufai is still with us. Yes, he mentioned his membership of the SDP. Yes, he mentioned the ADC. But we are yet to get to the point of bidding him farewell. He’s someone we still consult. We still seek his expertise, his knowledge, and his advice. Forget the politics for a moment. This is about public service. Whenever we need his advice, he gives it. And if he refuses to give it when asked, I believe God will ask him why.”
Jamoh described the former governor as a political institution whose impact on the development of Kaduna State and the APC could not be easily dismissed.
“You cannot disown your child of eight years. He was Minister under the PDP. He joined CPC, which merged into APC, and governed this state for eight years. He’s a part of our political history,” he added.
While admitting that El-Rufai has the right to make personal political decisions, Jamoh said the APC in Kaduna would remain open to him.
“If Malam today says he’s no longer with ADC, we’ll still remain with him. If he goes to ADC, we’ll wait and see how far the ADC goes,” he said.
According to him, the ADC in the state was still struggling to establish its structure and could not pose a serious challenge to the APC.
“We don’t even know who is who in the ADC yet. Yes, we hear he is the North-West leader of the ADC, but as far as Kaduna is concerned, they are underperforming,” he said.
Jamoh also addressed concerns over whether the APC could withstand the threat of the former governor aligning with an opposition party.
He argued that since El-Rufai had exhausted his constitutional limit of two terms as governor, the focus should not be on him as an individual but on the strength of any party he associates with.
“Are you talking about El-Rufai or the ADC? Nasir El-Rufai cannot contest for governorship again. That chapter is closed. So, the question is whether ADC or any opposition party can defeat the APC in this state — and I say no,” he said.
Speaking metaphorically, Jamoh added, “In Hausa, there’s a proverb: when you grind your corn, you can’t throw the whole thing into a pot because it’ll be too heavy. APC is too heavy for any party here.
“Maybe you don’t know Kaduna politics very well. Go and take an independent survey today. Who stands a chance of winning the gubernatorial election after Uba Sani? Check opposition parties. Who and who among them can challenge the APC? We have more than 10 capable candidates. I challenge you — do the research.”
While conceding that the APC faces some internal challenges, Jamoh maintained that the party remained Kaduna’s dominant political force and was already taking steps to address concerns.
“Yes, there are challenges. I agree. But we are addressing them. That’s why I’m speaking to you now. Don’t fall for the propaganda that people are leaving in droves.
“Don’t throw away what you have because you think the opposition can beat APC. Remember where you invested. One day, you will reap the benefit of that investment,” he said.
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The Northern Progressives Coalition on Thursday hailed the administration of President Bola Tinubu for initiating policies that have positively transformed the region’s education system, including 101 Almajiri centres.
The commendation was given during the endorsement of Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima at a press conference in Abuja.
Addressing journalists, NPC’s Convener, Usman Abdullahi, described the current administration as “the most dependable leadership” in Nigeria’s 65-year post-independence history.
Among other things, Abdullahi outlined sweeping education reforms as a major achievement of the current administration.
He said, “The National Student Loan Scheme, financing over 396,000 students, has seen Northern students account for 55 per cent of beneficiaries, receiving over N45bn of the N77bn disbursed by NELFUND.
“Education reforms have been a cornerstone, with over 120 learning centres established across Northern senatorial districts, equipped with solar power and safe water systems.
“The partnership with the Universal Basic Education Commission has revitalised 101 Almajiri and Tsangaya education centres in states like Bauchi, Niger, Kaduna, and Kano.”
Continuing, he credited the government with triggering a “socio-political renaissance” that has begun to correct decades of systemic neglect in the North.
Beyond education, Abdullahi cited several infrastructure and economic empowerment projects as evidence of the administration’s commitment to regional development.
He identified them as the ₦740.79bn Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Road, the 1,068km Sokoto-Badagry Highway, and the ₦305bn Abuja-Lokoja-Benin Road dualisation.
Calling for continuity in 2027, Abdullahi said, “No other president-vice president pairing has understood the North’s developmental needs like Tinubu and Shettima,” crediting Shettima’s deep insight as a former governor and banker.
The coalition also urged better accountability from Northern appointees to ensure that they serve with integrity and focus on regional upliftment.
“The North has suffered enough from political manipulation and economic sabotage. We are no longer at the margins but at the epicentre of governance.
“Yet, in less than two years, Tinubu and Shettima have brought a ray of hope, delivering visionary policies that prioritise the North as a crucial pillar in Nigeria’s national architecture.
“For the first time, Northern technocrats occupy strategic portfolios in security, commerce, oil regulation, and education reform, not as tokens but as co-architects of Nigeria’s renaissance,” Abdullahi added.
He concluded by rallying traditional leaders, governors, lawmakers, youths, and civil society across the region to embrace and amplify the “Renewed Hope for the Northern Renaissance” agenda, advocating for a renewed Tinubu-Shettima mandate in 2027.
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The African Democratic Congress has vowed to challenge the All Progressive Congress in Borno State and support whoever wins as the party’s candidate in the coming 2027 general elections.
The Convener of the party in the state, Sheriff Banki, who disclosed this in an interview with newsmen during the unveiling of the party in Maiduguri, the state capital, on Thursday, said the APC had silenced all opposition parties through every possible means in the state
According to Banki, the ADC will stand as a powerful opposition henceforth in the state, challenging government policies and influencing decisions it considers anti-democratic.
He said, “Because of the crises facing major opposition parties in the country, which are perpetuated by the present APC administration in the country, we have decided to go into a national coalition movement, which we believe can not be controlled or manipulated by the APC.
“Borno is in dire need of opposition parties. As far as we are concerned, there is no opposition in the state.
“But starting from today, with the unveiling of this ADC, there will be tough opposition in Borno State that can checkmate and hold the government responsible for having proper checks and balances of their activities.
“In this national movement, we do not want Borno to be left behind or in Isolation. Therefore, we in Borno accept this coalition in good faith and decide to join the national coalition movement and adopt the ADC as a political party, under the leadership of his excellency, Atiku Abubakar, the leader in the North East, and Kashim Imam in Borno.”
Speaking on the party’s preference for the 2027 general elections, Banki said, “Both the obedient members of the party and others who have come together will support whoever emerges as the presidential candidate of the party, and that is the agreement between all the leaders.”
According to him, the party will provide a viable platform for people with ideas who want to bring development to the country.
“We can win. What has always held us back from succeeding in the state is the manipulation both within and outside.
“The people within the opposition are often manipulated, and the ruling party has all the mechanisms to manipulate whatever they want.
“In this case, with serious commitment, courage, I believe we can confront them, challenge them and succeed in the struggle,” he assured all.
While listing political heavyweights who have adopted the party in the state, the convener said, “In the state, we have strong stakeholders; here you can see former governorship aspirants under the platform of the NNPP, former treasurer of the PDP, former House of Assembly members, former state secretary and party executives, too numerous to mention.”
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A former presidential candidate and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has declared support for the possible return of former President Goodluck Jonathan, ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and former Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi, to the PDP’s presidential primary race.
Hashim, in a statement on Thursday in Kaduna through his media aide, Hassan Mahmoud, described the potential interest of the trio in the PDP’s 2027 ticket as a welcome development that could rekindle the party’s founding ideals of inclusiveness and democratic contest.
“The more, the merrier,” Hashim said, adding that “a robust and competitive primary will not divide the PDP, rather, it will reassert its credentials as the true party of democracy in Nigeria.”
He recalled the founding vision of the party in 1998, stressing that the PDP was not created as an exclusive political club but a “national platform and a big umbrella” accommodating all shades of opinion, ideology, and aspiration.
Hashim said, “From the beginning, the PDP was designed to be a home for all. I remember vividly, as secretary of the publicity subcommittee, chaired by the late Dr. Chuba Okadigbo, how a journalist first proposed the umbrella symbol which became iconic to the party.”
He paid glowing tribute to political heavyweights who shaped the PDP’s early trajectory, including the late Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Chief Solomon Lar, Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, Mallam Adamu Ciroma, Chief Sunday Awoniyi, Chief Melford Okilo, Prof. Jubril Aminu, and Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, among others.
“We had giants of Nigerian politics under one roof. Many of them had what it took to lead Nigeria, yet some stepped down and others went through a credible, competitive process, such as the Jos convention of 1999 that eventually produced Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as the party’s candidate,” he said.
According to him, the PDP’s formative strength came not from “backdoor consensus or gatekeeping politics,” but from its firm commitment to internal democracy and open contest.
He particularly hailed the leadership style of Chief Solomon Daushep Lar, the PDP’s first interim national chairman, for keeping the party’s door open to a broad range of political actors during its early years.
“Those who feared competition quietly exited the founding process. But we stayed the course, and Nigeria benefited from it,” he stated.
Hashim, who was a presidential candidate in the 2019 elections, argued that for the PDP to reclaim national relevance, it must rediscover and recommit to its foundational principles of fairness, competition, and unity.
He noted that the prospect of Jonathan, Atiku, Obi or any other aspirant contesting the 2027 ticket should not be viewed with suspicion but embraced as a healthy sign of political vibrancy.
“If Jonathan, Atiku, Obi and others wish to contest, they should be welcomed. Let the best ideas and visions emerge through fair competition. That is how to build a party of the future,” he declared.
Hashim’s remarks appear to come at a time of growing internal debate within the PDP over zoning, leadership succession, and possible alliances ahead of the 2027 polls.
While none of the three men mentioned—Jonathan, Atiku, or Obi—has publicly declared a formal return to the PDP or interest in the presidential race, speculations have continued to mount over possible comebacks, defections, or political realignments within the opposition.
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