Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has fueled speculation about a possible defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC) after meeting key executives of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kaduna on Saturday.
The meeting has intensified rumours of El-Rufai’s potential defection especially as tensions between the politician and stakeholders in the ruling party continue.
The meeting with PDP state executives comes just a day after El-Rufai was seen alongside the PDP’s 2023 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. The two politicians attended a condolence visit to the family of the late Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) leader, Chief Edwin Clark, in Abuja.
While speaking at the event, El-Rufai openly praised Atiku for his role in shaping Nigeria’s economic policies during the Obasanjo administration from 1999 to 2007.
El-Rufai, who served as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory during that period, said, “Nobody gives Alhaji Atiku Abubakar the credit for economic policy making… many of the things we did, we did it under his leadership… but people focus on the negatives.”
Further fueling the rumours, El-Rufai and Atiku were also spotted together earlier on Friday, heading to the mosque for prayers in Abuja.
Political commentators have said the newfound relationship between El-Rufai and opposition stakeholders could signal the beginning of a political alliance ahead of the 2027 general elections.
