El-Rufai’s Tenure Revolved Around Family, Female Friends, Cronies – APC Chieftain
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Kaduna State, Alhaji Ahmed Tijjani Ramalan has declared that the time has come for the present administration of the Party at both the federal and State levels to correct the divisive politics introduced by the immediate past governor of Kaduna State, Mr Nasir El-Rufai.
Ramalan, who was the chairman of the APC Caucus in the state, also said that with El-Rufai as governor, the politics of Kaduna State during his tenure, revolved only around him, his family, friends, female friends, and cronies
He particularly said that the political isolation of Southern Kaduna (Zone 3) from the scheme of things for eight solid years by El-Rufai, did not in any way help the fortunes of the APC and the desired peaceful co-existence in Kaduna state.
Ramalan, who was Director, News (Media Committee) of the defunct Tinubu/Shettima Grassroots Independent Campaign Council, accused El-Rufai of distorting and disrupting zoning arrangements in Kaduna State completely and only succeeded in plunging the state into a hub of social vices and criminalities.
These were contained in an open letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the political development in Kaduna State, in which Ramalan, who is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), of Liberty Radio, Television and Newspapers, noted that prior to 2015 when the APC took Kaduna State by storm from the PDP which had held sway for 16 years, there was equity in sharing the spoils accruing according to understanding by politicians and other stakeholders in the state.
In the words of Ramalan; ‘’There was an unwritten gentleman’s agreement between the three Senatorial Zones of the State which ensured that all the three segments found representation and inclusiveness in the sharing of public offices within the State.
“For example, when the office of the Governor goes to zone 1, naturally the deputy governorship position should go to the 2nd or 3rd Senatorial zones.
“For a delicate balance, the Ministerial position usually went to the remaining Senatorial zone for the purpose of achieving inclusiveness and complete representation in the state. That means all three Senatorial zones were fully represented at both the state and the federal level.
“For 8 years running from 2015 when Nasiru Ahmed El Rufai became the Governor, he distorted or disrupted that arrangement and reduced same into a winner takes all. Political inclusiveness and Local Governments constituency representation took flight.
“When, in 2015 when APC came to power in Kaduna and, though the party failed to win the Senatorial seat in the Southern zone, the Ministerial position should, by that gentleman’s arrangement alluded to earlier, should have gone to the Southern zone but this did not happen simply because the El-Rufai leadership had made a Siberia of that zone,’’ he said.
Ramalan stressed that the people of Kaduna State had a raw deal from the anti-people and impoverishment policies of the El-Rufai style of totalitarian and destructive leadership, stressing that since 2015, the derivatives from political activities benefited only El-Rufai, his close family members, friends, cronies, and apologists which perhaps explains why the sharply divided APC failed to deliver Kaduna State in the 2023 Presidential vote.
Ramalan also said that even though El-Rufai has left the governorship seat in Kaduna, he appears to still be in control and the sole decision maker adding that Kaduna is now an extension of El-Rufai and partners.
He further said; “That his name was forwarded for the Senate screening for a possible ministerial appointment was a rude shock to the impoverished people of Kaduna State. The reason for this is simple, El-Rufai for 8 years left nothing behind to endear him to the majority of Kaduna State people.
“He has now been telling those who have the time to listen to him that he never lobbied you for any position whatsoever. Everyone who knows him well must also know that is not true’’.
