Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has outlined three critical factors that led to the political coalition that unseated former President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 elections.
El-Rufai's remarks come amid growing discussions about coalition politics in Nigeria, particularly observations that such alliances tend to form when a southerner occupies the presidency.
Why Jonathan Was Removed
Responding to questions about why coalitions seem to emerge when southerners are in power, El-Rufai dismissed any regional motivations, stating, "I don't care about that. The reason why the Jonathan coalition came up was as a result of two developments."
He then enumerated three specific reasons: "First, the feeling that Jonathan was not governing the country very well. Second, Jonathan made a commitment not to run in 2015 so he had problems even within his own party."
"The third was simply we realized, those of us in small parties, opposition parties at the time, CPC, NPP, ACN, we realized that unless we came together, step by step, election cycle after election cycle, the PDP will be destroying us in bits and pieces," El-Rufai explained.
The former governor emphasized that the merger was primarily "an act of self-preservation" for the smaller political parties, adding that "there was of course, the feeling that, you know, Jonathan was doing a bad job. Let's get him out. I don't think it has anything to do with north or south."
El-Rufai's Current Political Stance
El-Rufai, who was instrumental in forming the All Progressives Congress (APC) that brought Muhammadu Buhari to power, has since left the party for the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Some political observers have suggested that El-Rufai's departure from the APC stems from President Bola Tinubu's decision not to appoint him to a ministerial position. However, El-Rufai has positioned himself as a key figure in a new opposition coalition that aims to challenge President Tinubu in the 2027 elections.
The former Kaduna governor's comments highlight the complex dynamics of coalition politics in Nigeria and raise questions about the future political landscape as the country moves toward another election cycle.
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