Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has rejected rumors suggesting he plans to defect to the Peoples Democratic Party, asserting that he has no intention of joining the opposition party.
Speaking on Arise TV on Monday night, El-Rufai explained that his discussions with politicians from other parties had been misunderstood, and emphasized that these interactions were not an indication of any intention to leave the All Progressives Congress.
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He said, “It should be clear that the fact that I’m in the APC doesn’t mean that I cannot visit a friend of mine who is in the PDP or SDP. So anytime I visit anyone that is not in APC, they say, ‘Oh, he’s thinking of leaving the party.’
“In fact, about two months ago, one character in Kaduna posted on his Facebook page that I’ve collected a PDP membership card in my ward. It was totally untrue.
“When I visited my brother and friend Shehu Gabam at the SDP headquarters, they said, ‘Oh, he has joined the SDP.’ Again, not true.”
However, the former governor hinted that he might consider leaving the APC if the party fails to uphold its original principles.
He added, “I don’t know where I will end up if the APC doesn’t come back to where we started. But one thing I can tell you for sure is that PDP is not a party that I will go to, ever. I have thought about that. I’ve decided that long ago, and nothing has changed. In fact, if anything, PDP has gotten worse; rule out PDP.”
While reaffirming his refusal to join the PDP, El-Rufai indicated that he might realign politically if the APC does not resolve its internal issues.
“But PDP, no. Other parties, possibly, if the APC doesn’t sort itself out,” he said.
El-Rufai confirmed meeting with PDP leaders in Kaduna but maintained that it was not politically motivated.
“I met with PDP leadership in Kaduna a couple of days ago. The state leadership of the party came to see me, and I will meet with them. You know, I’m a public figure in my state, and at my age, and based on the responsibilities I have held, I am a leader of some sort,” he said.
The former governor reaffirmed that he would maintain engagements with politicians from various parties, stressing that these interactions should not be misconstrued as a defection.
“If people say they want to see me, I’m not going to say, ‘You are PDP, I won’t see you,’ or ‘You are SDP’, I will only meet with APC people.’ It is my duty to meet with everyone. It is my duty to guide and mentor young people across partisan divides. So, I meet with people but the moment I meet with everyone, everything is reduced to politics,” he added.
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