A former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has said that he no longer recognises the All Progressives Congress he and others formed years back, adding that there is a deliberate project to destroy opposition parties in Nigeria.
The former Kaduna State governor said this at a national conference in Abuja on the strengthening of democracy in Nigeria on Monday.
El-Rufai lamented the lack of internal democracy within the APC, adding: “I no longer recognise the APC.
“No party organ has met in two years.
“No caucus, no NEC, nothing.
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“You don’t even know if it is a one-man show.
“It’s a zero-man show.”
El-Rufai criticised the quality of leadership emerging from political parties, attributing it to unqualified delegates.
He said: “You cannot afford to have illiterates, semi-illiterates, and cunning people as your leaders.
“This is why we end up with the poor leadership we have today.”
The former governor accused APC of abandoning its founding principles and fostering poor leadership.
El-Rufai urged political parties to set higher standards for candidates and delegates, noting that the constitutional minimum requirement of a secondary school certificate should not suffice for party nominations.
He said: “The problems that led to the creation of the APC remain unresolved, but I no longer believe the APC is interested in addressing them.
“The distance between me and the party is widening.”
El-Rufai urged opposition parties to unite and form a broad coalition to challenge the ruling party and protect democracy, adding: “There are internal mercenaries in the PDP (Peoples Democratic Party), hired and motivated to destroy the party.
“The Labour Party is also facing similar issues.
“Peter Obi himself told me: ‘I don’t know what’s happening in the party I contested with.’
“There seems to be a deliberate project to destroy opposition parties.”
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