El-Rufai: Nigerians Tired of APC, Poll Says Tinubu’s Govt Has 91% Disapproval Rating

•Slams president, declares he inaugurated projects he initiated, completed as Kaduna gov

•Contends govt making money with nothing to show for it 

•States nation at war despite money sunk into security

ChuksOkochain Abuja, Mary Nnah and FunmiOgundare in Lagos

A former Kaduna State governor,  MallamNasir El-Rufai, yesterday, resumed his attacks against the government of President Bola Tinubu, saying while Nigerians were tired of the All Progressives Congress (APC) government, the Tinubu administration already suffering 91 per cent disapproval rating.

Citing a recent poll conducted by the opposition coalition across the country, El-Rufai said the policies of the Tinubu government had been detrimental to Nigerians, with the economy tanking and security architecture failing.

Speaking as a guest on ARISETV last night, El-Rufai, who emphasised the need for a credible alternative to the current government, said, “Nigerians are tired of the APC. We know that. We have polled that. There is 91% disapproval of this administration across the country.

“There is no clear trade, industrial, and investment policies. Everything is going wrong,” he said, adding that the government was generating a lot of revenues with no visible result.

“Where are the results?” he asked, pointing out that President Tinubu commissioned projects in Kaduna last week, but 90% of them were projects he initiated and completed as governor.

El-Rufai also slammed the government’s handling of security, citing a recent report that over 2.2 million Nigerians were abducted and 615,000 killed in 2024.

“Is Nigeria at war?” he queried, questioning the effectiveness of the government’s security measures.

He said, “For the last 12 months or up to 18 months, every month, 100 billion naira is deducted from the federation account and sent to the security agencies. Why is there no improvement?”

El-Rufai also highlighted the importance of unity among opposition groups, stating that “big names does not equate to ambitions”, adding that, the focus should be on fixing the country, rather than personal ambitions.

“Everybody is saying we have a problem. This country is targeted for destruction by a collection of urban bandits. Let’s come together, send them back home and put this country back on track,” he said.

Asked about his plans for 2027, El-Rufai said he hadn’t made any decisions about what position to run for, but emphasised that his priority was to improve the quality of governance in Nigeria.

“If the quality of governance in Nigeria is improved, I will thrive,” he said, noting, “I have a profession.”

El-Rufai also responded to criticism that he didn’t support Tinubu’s government after working for him.

“I just feel that having contributed to bringing about this tragedy to Nigeria, I should contribute in my last lap to removing it. Tinubu begged me publicly to join his cabinet. I changed my life plans. Thank God it didn’t happen.

“I don’t care about the potential backlash. I think God saved me from the embarrassment of having to explain to be part of this disaster. I never sought to be minister. I was a minister 20 years before. That’s nothing. Tinubu begged me… The videos are there to serve in his cabinet,” he said.

On his personal relationship with the president, el-Rufai said, “Bola Tinubu never really liked me, but we never really got along. In the party, I was Buhari’s boy.”

He added that he was closer to a former governor of Osun State and chieftain of the APC, BisiAkande, saying, “The person I got along with was Baba Akande.”

He, however, hinted that opposition leaders doubted the possibility of registering a new political party under the current leadership of the INEC.

“The constitution is clear. If INEC doesn’t respond within the set timeline, a party is deemed registered. We know INEC is not independent under this government,” he said.

According to him, there was widespread skepticism among opposition leaders regarding INEC’s willingness under the leadership of MahmoodYakubu, its chairman, to approve new party registration.

The former governor of Kaduna drew a comparison between the incumbent INEC chairman and his predecessor, AttahiruJega, under whose leadership the APC was registered.

 “Many of us do not believe that under the current leadership of INEC, a new party would be registered because MahmoodYakubu is not Jega and President Tinubu is not Jonathan. Those were the people in charge when APC was registered,” he said.

Despite forming ADA, he maintained that the Social Democratic Party (SDP) remained the ideal platform for opposition coalition, citing its history, legacy, and sentimental value.

He said if consensus was reached on a common platform, opposition leaders were prepared to abandon their legacy parties to unite under one banner.

“I strongly believe that the SDP is the best platform for the coalition. It has a history, it has a legacy, it has a sentimental value. And everything about it is almost perfect,” he said.

However, he emphasised that the final decision would be a collective one.

On the issue of INEC’s role in registering new parties, he said, “The way these things should work is that any party that is registered will get assigned a set of officers. The requirements in the Constitution that have been repeatedly upheld in the Supreme Court are very simple. They are very easy to meet.”

He added that INEC should be able to process party registrations efficiently, without unnecessary delays.

Responding to a question on whether or not it was fair to assess Tinubu’s government after just two years, El-Rufai said, “Of course, it is fair to assess him. He has assessed others based on one year.”

He also pointed out that the 21st century provides an audit trail of what leaders say and do, making it easier to hold them accountable.

El-Rufai concluded by emphasising the need for Nigerians to make up their minds about the current government.

“Do you like what is happening? This is just two years, okay? If you’re happy with what is happening, if your life has got better since President Tinubu was sworn in on May 29, 2023, fine. But if not… Why not give some other person? He asked.

Emphasising that no opposition leader was currently pushing personal ambition, El-Rufai admitted that the eventual emergence of a presidential candidate would be determined by internal party democracy.

For now, he noted that the focus was on unity and providing Nigerians with a viable alternative.

When asked on why Nigerians should trust his political judgment, given his past support for both Buhari and Tinubu, whom he now criticised, El-Rufai stated: “You don’t have to trust me. Clearly, I’m not good at picking presidents. But I ask Nigerians to judge for themselves: Are they better off now?”