Former lawmaker Farouk Aliyu has dismiss rumours of the CPC faction planning to exit the APC, stating that only Nasir El-Rufai has officially left the party, following a fallout over an unfulfilled ministerial promise.
Former House of Representatives Minority Leader, Farouk Aliyu, has debunked speculations that the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) bloc is planning to leave the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking during an interview with Channels Television on Wednesday, Aliyu described the rumour as baseless, emphasizing that the CPC fully merged into the APC during the 2015 elections and even submitted its registration certificate to formalize the union.
He clarified that the only prominent CPC figure who has left the APC is former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, who officially notified former President Muhammadu Buhari of his decision.
Aliyu also addressed El-Rufai’s recent detachment from the party, attributing it to the unfulfilled promise of a ministerial position in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet. He noted that despite El-Rufai’s pivotal role in Tinubu’s victory,particularly in mobilizing northern governors, his exclusion from the cabinet sparked his fallout with the party.
In his words, “My friend El-Rufai supported Tinubu when he wanted to be President. He led northern governors and dismissed the so-called northern elders, saying he was the real elder at 62, having contested and won elections twice. We all backed Tinubu and he won. El-Rufai was promised a ministerial appointment, something happened, he didn’t get it. Now, suddenly, Tinubu is a bad man.”
Aliyu insisted that beyond El-Rufai’s exit, the CPC bloc remains solidly within the APC and has no intention of breaking away.
