A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Joe Igbokwe, has defended former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, describing him as a committed party member who played a key role in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 election.

Igbokwe, a former aide to Tinubu and a loyalist from Lagos State, made the statement while clarifying a controversial Facebook post in which he praised El-Rufai as “greater, smarter, and bolder” than some APC chieftains.

His comments came in response to criticism El-Rufai has faced since his remarks on Monday questioning the APC’s internal democracy.

El-Rufai, whose ministerial nomination was reportedly blocked by political rivals within the APC, had declared at an event attended by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar that the ruling party no longer upheld internal democratic principles. His comments sparked a backlash from some of Tinubu’s allies, with APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka condemning him alongside Atiku and Labour Party’s, Peter Obi.

Morka dismissed their concerns as baseless, stating: “The bizarre suggestion by opposition figures like Atiku, Peter Obi, and recently, aggrieved leaders like Mallam Nasir El-Rufai that our great party may be complicit in the internal corrosion of opposition parties is pitiful and only an incompetent alibi for their crass failure to manage their own affairs. They cannot govern their parties but tout their ability to govern Africa’s most populous country.”

Amid the controversy, Igbokwe took to Facebook to emphasise El-Rufai’s political relevance, stressing that the former governor was instrumental in securing Tinubu’s victory.

He wrote: “All things considered, APC needs Mallam Nasir El-Rufai. He worked so hard for APC during the 2023 presidential and governorship elections. I am a witness to how El-Rufai, former Kogi governor Yahaya Bello, and another governor confronted the Emefiele’s monetary policy that was targeted at truncating Tinubu’s victory. I also recall the excruciating efforts he put into retaining Kaduna for the APC.

“El-Rufai was nominated as a minister, yet we allowed shenanigans and dishonourable people to manipulate the Senate into blocking his nomination. If reality prevailed, he should have simply taken a bow and walked away.”

Speaking to Daily Trust, Igbokwe explained that his post had been misinterpreted.

“What I said was that El-Rufai worked so hard. Was he not the one who went to court to stop Emefiele’s monetary policy?”

He reaffirmed El-Rufai’s loyalty to Tinubu’s presidency, describing him as an upright politician.