APC Blasts El-Rufai Over Criticism of Tinubu, Labels Him a “Political Clown”

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has launched a blistering attack on former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, following his recent criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, describing his remarks as “mischievous,” “hollow,” and “infantile.”

In a press statement signed by APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, the party accused El-Rufai of descending into “political clownery” after failing to secure a ministerial appointment. Morka dismissed El-Rufai’s recent comments at a meeting in Sokoto where he described the Tinubu government as incompetent and clannish as the “rants of an inconsolable sulker.”

“El-Rufai’s claims are as mischievous as they are hollow. With a steady rebound in our economy and other indicators of verifiable progress in all sectors, including the ongoing revolution in agriculture; a high-performing stock exchange market; improved power generation and transmission; increased oil production at nearly 1.8 mbpd; consistent trade surpluses; unprecedented infrastructural development – with 420 roads and bridges underway; strategic retooling of our military capabilities with 49 advanced aircraft; unprecedented NELFUND for students, with fast declining inflation and rising consumer confidence, and more, El-Rufai’s verdict of “poor governance and failed leadership” falls flat as no more than the rants of an inconsolable sulker.”

The APC touted a range of accomplishments under Tinubu’s administration, including improved power generation, increased oil production nearing 1.8 million barrels per day, infrastructural development across 420 roads and bridges, defence modernisation with 49 new aircraft, and initiatives like the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) for students.

The party further accused El-Rufai and his alleged new political allies in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Governor Peter Obi, of having no viable alternatives to the current government’s policies and warned that their actions threaten Nigeria’s unity and democratic stability.

“El-Rufai and his partners in ADC are the most confused, clueless, rudderless and pitiful opposition politicians our country has ever known,” Morka said, claiming they have “oversized egos” and “predatory presidential ambitions.”

The statement also took aim at El-Rufai’s tenure as governor, accusing him of marginalising minorities in Southern Kaduna and leaving behind a debt burden of N284 billion.

Accusing the ADC of attempting to subvert the North-South presidential rotation arrangement by backing Atiku for 2027, the APC warned that El-Rufai and his allies are “a clear and present threat to the unity, peace and progress of Nigeria.”

The party declared confidence that Nigerians would re-elect President Tinubu in 2027, citing what it described as the “most outstanding first-term record of achievement of any President in our nation’s history.”