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…Says his style of politics rooted in arrogance, drama, and disregard for due process
From Sola Ojo, Abuja
A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Kaduna State, Hon. Adamu Ahmed Dattijo, has accused former Governor Nasir El-Rufai of plotting to hijack the party, warning that his “dubious, imperial tendencies” could destroy the coalition painstakingly built by respected national leaders.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Daily Sun, Dattijo alleged that El-Rufai’s style of politics is rooted in arrogance, drama, and disregard for due process.
Excerpts:
Are you a foundation member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC)?
Not directly, I came into the ADC from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) through the coalition.
You alleged a few days ago that the immediate past Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, is planning to hijack the party. Can you shed some light on this?
Regarding the accusation that the former governor is planning to hijack our party, let me explain. If you observe the recent developments and his activities within the ADC, you will see that his intention is nothing short of hijacking the party through dubious means. I use the word dubious because any action that is not democratic, that disregards due process, is dubious.
We are raising our voice now for several reasons. Since he joined, we have noticed certain tendencies that go against the spirit of the coalition. You know, this coalition brought together respected national leaders such as Waziri Adamawa, Rotimi Amaechi, and Peter Obi. If you look at how these leaders conduct themselves in their home states, you will see a clear difference.
What do you mean by that, can you expatiate?
For instance, you will not hear of Waziri Adamawa in Adamawa calling meetings that disregard the existing party structure or showing favouritism among members. The same applies to Peter Obi and Rotimi Amaechi. None of them undermines the structures on the ground in their states. But in the case of Nasir El-Rufai, it is a different story entirely. That is why we believe he has an ulterior, imperial motive to hijack the party for reasons best known to him.
But, you also joined ADC from another party?
(Cuts in) As members who joined the ADC from other parties, we have already endured many challenges, and we cannot allow this kind of behaviour to continue. That is why we are making our position clear.
In fact, on the 7th of August, we wrote a formal letter to the national secretariat, warning that all the progress of the coalition and the hard work of the national leadership will be in jeopardy if urgent action is not taken concerning El-Rufai’s activities. Forget about him being a former governor or minister, everyone knows his character and style of leadership. If this continues, instead of building the ADC into a truly people-oriented mega party, he will end up destroying it.
This will discourage many Nigerians from identifying with the ADC and could even cost us votes. That is why we are insisting that something must be done.
ADC was there as a party all along, but suddenly came into the limelight as a coalition when politicians from other parties, like El-Rufai, joined. So, what exactly is the problem?
Let me remind us again that this coalition was not built overnight. Leaders like Atiku Abubakar, Rotimi Amaechi, Peter Obi, and others started working on this project about 18 months ago. At the state level, we have been engaging the ADC structures for over six months to ensure a smooth transition. This is an existing party with structures, not something anyone should hijack. It was different from APC which was registered fresh after the merging parties agreed to work together before the 2015 general election.
I can’t remember hearing him say he’s contesting an election under the ADC platform, so why would he want to destroy the party?
He has the right to contest, no doubt about that, even though he has not come out clearly on that, as you rightly said. But if you truly want to contest, you must first create an environment that is comfortable and fair for everybody. You don’t impose yourself on people. Let the people freely say, “Yes, you are the better choice, come in and take the position.”
This same El-Rufai was seen leading or joining ADC campaigns, a few days before the recently concluded by-election in Zaria and Chikun. How has that influenced the ADC’s performance in that election?
The truth is, yes, he did. But, people in Kaduna know his record. Even during his time as governor, apart from the infrastructural development, several inhuman policies and actions worked against him personally. For example, mass sacking of workers, demolitions of people’s homes, his harsh utterances, even against respected senior citizens, all these things painted him as someone who showed little respect for people.
Don’t forget that Kaduna is a diverse state with different tribes and religions. But instead of uniting us, his leadership deepened the divides. He polarised us along religious and ethnic lines, making the state unnecessarily tensed. These wounds are still fresh, and they are not easily forgotten.
During the by-election campaigns, I told my people, “Yes, nationally, some may see El-Rufai as a model, but here in Kaduna it is different. He needs to humble himself, to come back and ask for forgiveness. He should have told the people, ‘I was your governor, I may have wronged you, please pardon my shortcomings.’ But arrogance prevented him from doing that.
Because of that arrogance, people rejected even those he supported. You can bring a good candidate to me, but if you force El-Rufai on my doorstep, I will refuse to vote for that candidate simply because of his involvement. That is exactly what affected our candidate in that by-election.
For example, when he went to Chikun during their campaign, he was not even officially invited. Yet, because he is a senior stakeholder, they allowed him to speak. But his presence backfired and influenced the voting pattern negatively. Our candidate could have gotten more votes without his interference.
It will take time for the wounds he inflicted on the people of Kaduna to heal.
So, why are political parties welcoming him?
Now, in politics, no matter how bad someone is, they may still have a role to play. For us, El-Rufai is useful when you need drama. He can climb on top of a vehicle, shout, dramatise, and entertain a crowd. Or he can attend a conference and talk rough against people something many politicians cannot do. Some people like that style, and that is why they see him as a model.
But again, recently he claimed he has no interest in contesting. My response is, if truly you are not contesting, why are you running helter-skelter to install your own structure within the party? If you are not interested, you should act like a father figure to everyone, not someone struggling for control.
Even if you are not contesting personally, once you start promoting another candidate and want people to rally behind him, that is already an interest. You cannot deny it.
Look at his movements, he has been in Sokoto, he has been in Kano. For what reason? He is not the leader of the North. By hierarchy in the party, Hajiya Naja’atu Mohammad our Deputy National Chairman, is the leader in the North. She is a true comrade, and far ahead of him in commitment and sacrifice.
So, if he says he has no interest, then he should respect that and stop trying to hijack the party.
Let me be clear, has El-Rufai ever claimed to be the leader of the North-West?
Anybody who tries to impose leadership on himself is selfish. Leadership is not something you declare for yourself it is people who determine that. These are the real facts.
Is that not his nature?
Yes, and may be, that is his nature, but, he will not stop dramatising. He will always do things his way. But for us, the most important thing is to make it clear to the public that the ADC does not belong to El-Rufai. This party is open to all Nigerians. Nobody should be afraid or discouraged just because they see El-Rufai around the party. If you are interested in the ADC, whether to contest for office or to simply become an active member, come in and participate. Don’t let one man’s presence distance you from the party.
The truth is, more than 50–60 percent of people who want to join ADC are holding back. They are trying to find out the true position of El-Rufai in the party. Is he the godfather of ADC? Or just a member? This uncertainty is pushing people away. That is why we are speaking out.
Considering what is happening across the opposition parties today, how is ADC going to salvage the situation?
What we are doing now is advocacy by way of public enlightenment. We are saying forget about the personality of one man. ADC is bigger than that. If you reject the party simply because of him, it is like refusing treatment for an illness just because you don’t like one doctor in the hospital. There are other doctors. There are other leaders in ADC. Nobody owns the party.
Even though he is a former governor, he is not the only former governor in our party. And as a matter of fact, as of now, he is not even officially an ADC member. He himself has said he is waiting until after the September elections to decide.
Meanwhile, he claims to be with the SDP. But the SDP has already disowned him. If your own party has disowned you, why are you still pursuing a case in their name? Yes, it is his right to litigate, but on what basis?
Now, back to ADC, this party has been through similar challenges before. Remember what happened in 2014 there was a change of power, and the party still stood. This is the same resilience we are showing today.
As it is now, many Nigerians are crying out that if, in the next election, the only options are the two dominant parties, they might not even vote. That could lead to voter apathy. But does voter apathy solve the problem? No, it doesn’t.
What people truly want is another platform an alternative where they can say, “Okay, apart from these two parties, I now have another option.” That is what ADC has achieved, putting a credible platform on the ground.
A credible platform you say, is the ongoing crisis not already eroding that credibility of your party?
The internal wrangling we are experiencing will resolve itself. Once congresses are conducted, candidates get elected, and the party formally presents its flagbearers, it becomes the responsibility of the public to decide whether or not to vote for them. By that time, there will naturally be a process of healing and reconciliation within the party. I believe strongly that this will come.
Now, let me clarify that, in Kaduna, we don’t have parallel leadership. We have one chairman, and if you go to INEC, you will see his name. You cannot just change him arbitrarily. I always give this example, when the PDP once tried to change Anyanwu, what did INEC and the courts say? They told them to reverse it.
The same applies here. You cannot run a parallel structure. But what El-Rufai is trying to do with these activities is to create an impression that the party is in crisis so that outsiders will call for dissolution. The national leadership will never do that. Dissolving a validly elected structure before its tenure expires will only end up in court, and that is exactly what the national leadership wants to avoid.
So, no matter the noise, the ADC remains intact.
