APC blasts El-Rufai over Tinubu ‘life president’ claim

The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has faulted former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over his recent claim that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu plans to hold on to power for life.

In a statement on Monday by its spokesperson, Seye Oladejo, the party described El-Rufai’s remark as mischievous, reckless, and an insult to Nigerians who are custodians of democracy.

Oladejo stressed that President Tinubu remains a lifelong democrat, recalling his role in the pro-democracy struggles of the 1990s under NADECO, where he risked his freedom to end military dictatorship.

“At no time in his long public service record has he ever supported tenure elongation. On the contrary, he openly opposed attempts by past leaders to extend their stay beyond constitutional limits,” the statement read.

The APC insisted that the idea of a “life presidency” was nothing but an idle conspiracy theory, while portraying El-Rufai as a political mischief maker known for double-speak.

It added that Nigerians had not forgotten the former Kaduna governor’s own anti-democratic tendencies during his time in office, accusing him of manipulating laws and institutions to consolidate power.

The Lagos APC maintained that Tinubu’s focus is on economic reforms, strengthening national security, and building enduring institutions, stressing that his legacy will be judged by inclusive governance and democratic consolidation, not by “the fantasies of bitter politicians.”

The party concluded by suggesting that El-Rufai’s recent utterances reflect a descent into “political paranoia,” urging him to seek rehabilitation before “history remembers him less as a leader and more as a man in need of help.”