Buba Galadima, a chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), says Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna state, cannot lead an opposition party.
In an interview with Punch, Galadima claimed el-Rufai was serving as a placeholder for former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar in the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
“I am confident that my perspective will prevail because El-Rufai cannot lead an opposition. It’s simply the law of karma catching up with him,” he said.
“He is used to going into an established house and taking it over, but now that he’s trying to build from scratch, he will see how difficult politics can be.”
Galadima claimed that el-Rufai’s lack of public relations skills and the trust deficit resulting from past actions would lead to the downfall of the SDP.
The NNPP chieftain suggested that el-Rufai’s role in the SDP is temporary, serving as a placeholder for Atiku, who is expected to take over the party.
“I don’t think he will succeed because he lacks a track record in public relations and doesn’t have the trust of the people, as he has wronged many. This will be the downfall of the SDP itself,” he said.
“El-Rufai is merely a placeholder for someone else who is expected to take over the party. He does not own it. We know exactly who the true owners are, and they, too, carry baggage from their past actions towards other politicians and governors.”
Regarding the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Galadima said the party is “completely destroyed” and “irredeemable”.
He claimed that Atiku’s fear of being stranded within the PDP has led him to use el-Rufai as a placeholder in the SDP.
“El-Rufai is now jumping to go and become a placeholder for Atiku so that if he’s booted out of the PDP, he will go to the SDP and become a candidate,” Galadima said.
He said PDP would not be a contender in the 2027 elections due to internal conflicts and the influence of Nyesom Wike, the minister of federal capital territory (FCT).
