By Emameh Gabriel
Nasir El-Rufai, the former Governor of Kaduna State and a man who thrives on controversy, made his much anticipated debut at the Social Democratic Party (SDP) national secretariat in Abuja yesterday. However, what was meant to be a triumphant entry quickly turned into a spectacle of chaos, as El-Rufai unleashed a barrage of accusations against President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) that left members of his new political family bemused.
Dressed in his trademark crisp safari suit and a demeanor that oscillated between defiance and desperation, El-Rufai was received by the SDP national chairman, Shehu Musa Gamba. The event, which was supposed to mark a new chapter in El-Rufai’s political career, instead became a platform for his trademark theatrics.
El-Rufai is a man of many contradictions. He is both a political heavyweight, though not anymore, and a loose cannon, a man with radical approach and a purveyor of baseless accusations. His latest foray into the SDP has done little to burnish his reputation, instead painting him as a politician adrift in a sea of frustration and fury.
His dramatic departure from the APC was as theatrical as one would expect from a man who thrives on drama. He claimed he left the party because it has deviated from the ideals of its founding fathers, as if he himself had been a paragon of virtue during his time in the APC or as a governor. But let’s be honest, El-Rufai’s exit was less about principles and more about a man whose frustration is eating him up like a secret case of political diarrhea.
In his characteristic style, El-Rufai accused the Tinubu administration of orchestrating and funding crises within Nigeria’s major opposition parties, including the Labour Party (LP), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP). According to him, the government is deliberately creating distractions to weaken opposition parties and undermine their effectiveness.
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“The crisis that Peter Obi is facing in the Labour Party is contrived and funded by the government of the day,” El-Rufai proclaimed. “Jumping from one court to another is all designed to distract the party leadership from focusing on their core functions”, he said.
But here is the kicker: El-Rufai admitted he had no evidence to back up his claims. I don’t have the details, he said, as if that minor inconvenience should be overlooked in the face of his grand conspiracy theory. It is like accusing someone of stealing your lunch but admitting you never actually saw them take it.
This feels more like a scripted drama, especially coming just a day after his son tweeted that Peter Obi is, after all, a good man. He went further to paint a picture of how the APC influenced him to despite Obi, adding another layer of intrigue to the unfolding theatrics.
El-Rufai didn’t stop at the Labour Party. He went on to allege that similar tactics were being employed against the PDP and NNPP. “There are people that have been resourced to go and cause problems in NNPP,” he claimed, his tone suggesting he was privy to some grand political machination.
He expressed disbelief at the recent developments within the NNPP, particularly the expulsion of its prominent leader, Rabiu Kwankwaso, and the party’s only sitting governor. “Which party sacks a sitting governor and the only governor they have? You will know it is contrived,” he remarked, as if political parties are immune to internal strife.
But again, El-Rufai’s accusations were devoid of specifics. “I don’t have the details, and I cannot mention names because I don’t have the details,” he said, leaving his audience to wonder if he was a whistleblower or just a man blowing hot air.
There is something almost comical about a politician of El-Rufai’s caliber making sweeping allegations without a shred of evidence. It is like watching a chef accuse someone of stealing his recipe but refusing to say what the recipe is. A man who understands the implications of defamation and slander should know better than to make accusations he can’t substantiate.
Beneath El-Rufai’s fiery rhetoric lies a man consumed by frustration. Once a powerful figure in the APC, he now finds himself on the fringes of Nigerian politics, his influence waning with each passing day. His defection to the SDP is less a strategic move and more a desperate attempt to remain afloat.
El-Rufai’s claims may be bold, but they are ultimately hollow. Without evidence or specifics, his accusations are little more than the rantings of a man who has lost his way. It goes to show that he is not a man of details, but only a man of drama, and his latest act is one of desperation, not conviction.
I don’t want to speculate without names to names or evidence to reinforce my claims, unlike some people. But now, we are hearing rumours- allegedly, of course – that the SDP National Secretary, Olu Agunloye, has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, about a supposed plot to force him to resign.
Apparently, some SDP members loyal to (who else?) Nasir el-Rufai are pushing for Agunloye’s resignation. But here is the best part: Agunloye claims someone forged a letterhead paper and is threatening him to resign. It is allegedly!
SDP was peacefully sailing along until El-Rufai and his crew joined the party. And what happens within 24 hours? Chaos erupts! What a lovely coincidence.
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