• APC chieftain urges reconciliation with el-Rufai
Senator Aminu Tambuwal (PDP, Sokoto South) has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of using coercion, propaganda and economic distress to force defections from the opposition.
Meanwhile, a chieftain of APC, Gerald Nwaorisa, has censured the party’s leadership for failing to address growing tensions with the former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai.
The former governor of Sokoto State described the APC’s latest attack on him as an attempt to stifle dissent and divert attention from Nigeria’s worsening economic and security crises.
Tambuwal’s statement followed remarks by APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, who dismissed his concerns over recent defections as baseless.
However, the senator insists that politicians’ movement into the APC is not driven by ideological conviction but by desperation amid the crushing economic hardship inflicted by the ruling party’s failed policies.
“APC wants to deceive Nigerians into believing that these defections are proof of good governance. The truth is that life under this administration has become unbearable; inflation is skyrocketing, insecurity is worsening, and unemployment is deepening. Nigerians know that the APC thrives on propaganda and not performance,” Tambuwal declared.
According to him, the ruling party’s tactics of intimidation and enticement pose a serious threat to democracy, likening the APC’s strategy to the foundation of a one-party authoritarian state.
“APC leaders have abandoned governance and now focus on deploying stomach infrastructure to lure struggling politicians. This is not democracy; it is survival politics,” he added.
The senator, who played a pivotal role in the formation of the APC while serving as Speaker of the House of Representatives, lamented that the party lost its way due to the influence of self-serving individuals who care little about the masses.
FOR the APC chieftain reacting to growing speculations of a fallout between el-Rufai and President Bola Tinubu, he warned that the issue could deepen existing rifts within the APC or potentially weaken it internally.
Nwaorisa, also known as Pigo, while speaking on a television show, asserted that despite Tinubu extending birthday wishes to el-Rufai via social media, the ex-governor’s contributions to the party remained unrecognised.
He said: “El-Rufai wasn’t treated well, though he played a crucial role in ensuring this government came to power.” Calling on the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, to set up a reconciliation team to ensure the party enters the 2027 elections as a united body, he urged APC members, especially the youth, to learn to speak the truth to their leaders to ensure they are valued.
