The Presidency is said to be currently monitoring the activities of Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufa’i, over alleged plans to scuttle the forthcoming national convention of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), it was gathered.
According to sources in the Presidency, el-Rufa’i’s recent controversial post on the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF)’s WhatsApp platform has put him in a negative light.
El-Rufa’i had in the past week reacted in an audacious way to President Buhari’s action of returning Yobe Governor, Mai Buni, as the Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) Chairman, as against el-Rufa’i’s preference, of Niger State governor, Sani Bello.
The President claimed the decision was part of efforts to save the party from extinction and a repetition of the 2019 episodes in Zamfara. Buhari also sounded a note of warning to State governors, who are allegedly sowing the seed of discord in the party, to stop their antics and work for the collective interest of the party.
Governor el-Rufa’i, in the leaked WhatsApp message that had since gone viral, said he was done with the ‘charade’, apparently referring to the President’s decision to return Mai Mala Buni.
“Your Excellences, unity is impossible to attain when leaders that are in office, because we consented to it, are consistently erratic, capricious, corrupt, and deceitful.
“Let’s restate that I am done with this charade, unless concrete, honest and transparent steps are taken to implement our agreed plans under a leadership we trusted”, he posted, on the Governors’ Forum platform.
Multiple sources said the message has been brought to Buhari’s attention, adding that the President did not take it lightly.
According to one of the sources who confided to newsmen, “The President felt really uncomfortable with the message and was really surprised that someone like el-Rufa’i could dare him. That’s why the Kaduna governor has been placed under heavy security monitoring”.
The source added that el-Rufa’i has succeeded in getting some of the governors on his side, saying they are planning to boycott the March 26 national convention.
“They’ve been discovered to be planning to scuttle the national convention. Himself and a few other governors. He asked Governors loyal to his camp to boycott all the activities leading to convention. They’re insisting that the president should choose between Buni and them. That as long as it’s Buni that will conduct the elections, they will boycott it”.
It was reportedly as a result of the revolt that the screening of the Chairmanship aspirants did not commence on Saturday as earlier scheduled, another source at the party secretariat said.
When contacted for his reaction, Gov. el-Rufai’s spokesperson, Muyiwa Adekeye, was yet to respond to telephone calls or texts messages put across to him as of press time.
