Kano is vital to any meaningful political organisation due to its constantly high voter participation, says a former Kaduna state governor Nasir el-Rufai.
In his palace visit to Kano’s Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II on Monday, the former Kaduna governor gave a speech.
El-Rufai, who recently joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP) after leaving the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), stated that Nigeria urgently needs a reliable political alternative to save the nation from its existential crisis.
“Kano is critical to any serious political formation because of its consistently high voter turnout,” he said.
“After joining the SDP, it was important to come and engage with stakeholders here.
“Twelve years ago, we merged three major parties to form the APC and defeated an incumbent president. But now, the goal is different.
“We are bringing together disaffected members across political divides under an existing platform — the SDP — which we believe has the best pedigree and potential.”
According to the former governor, he joined the SDP in order to contribute to the development of a respectable, godfather-free political alternative.
He went on to say that dysfunction and godfatherism had destroyed the APC and the PDP.
“We have seen how godfatherism destroyed the PDP and is now wrecking the APC. Nigerians deserve a party built on fairness, internal democracy, and equal opportunity; the SDP can be that alternative,” he said.
He added that, despite previously supporting southern leadership rotation, Nigeria’s pressing issues now necessitate prioritising capability and effective governance over regional origins in choosing leaders.
‘DEFECTIONS TO APC DON’T BOTHER ME’
In response to opposition politicians defecting to the APC, such as Delta Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, El-Rufai stated that he is unconcerned by the wave of defections and that the people’s will would win out.
He pointed out that the SDP was still more concerned with organising at the grassroots level than wooing political heavyweights.
“A governor only has one vote. Elections are won by the people, not by politicians. Our focus is on mobilising ordinary Nigerians, not chasing high-profile defections,” he said.
“You are seeing northern energy because we’re currently in Kano, but I have been engaging leaders across Lagos, Anambra, and the south-south.
“Nation-building is grassroots work, not media shows. You’ll see the results when the time is right.”
El-rufai added that the ongoing coalition talks involving five major political groups aimed at forming a strong opposition movement under the SDP.
“It’s a broader national movement for disillusioned Nigerians. Progress is being made, although I had to move faster in Kaduna because many of my political associates needed an immediate platform,” he said.
The former governor said his political moves have always been guided by loyalty to Nigeria, not to individuals or political parties.
“When things began to go wrong under President Buhari, I wrote to him warning about the dangers – and when the naira redesign policy also hurt Nigerians,” he said.
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“I challenged it in court, even though it was an APC-led government. I have never been loyal to individuals over the nation.”
He asked young Nigerians not to give up hope but to join the movement for a better future.
