Malam Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, has claimed to know individuals who paid to get ministerial appointments under President Bola Tinubu’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) government.

He stated that his own ministerial ordeal was not the reason he left the party but that the APC had deviated from its founding principles.

El-Rufai, who spoke in an interview with the BBC Hausa, said it would have been easier for him if the party had sacked him because that would have saved him from the stress of explaining his exit. He maintained that he did not leave the APC, but rather, the party abandoned him and its original ideals.

“It could have been easier for me if APC sacked me because they will save me from explaining the stress of why I left the party,” El-Rufai said.

When questioned about whether he anticipated that people might believe he left the APC due to not being appointed as a minister, El-Rufai responded, “Did I seek to be minister? I know people who paid to get ministerial appointments.”

According to him, he did not regret supporting President Bola Tinubu’s ambition but admitted to feeling disappointed in the way he had been treated.

“I didn’t regret supporting Tinubu’s presidential ambition, but I feel disappointed,” El-Rufai stated.

He further lamented that the APC had become a party where personal interests now dominate governance, making it difficult for those who worked hard for its success to be recognised or rewarded.

“The APC abandoned the ideals that led to its formation. It has abandoned the people. Everyone is now pursuing personal interests and wealth. The government has become a business enterprise where everything has a price,” he stated.

He added that key appointments in the current administration were being controlled by a select group from Lagos, reinforcing his claim that the party no longer upholds fairness and justice.

“There is no justice. Those who worked for the party are not recognised, let alone rewarded. Appointments are now controlled by a select group from Lagos. The party is dead,” El-Rufai said.

Before leaving the APC, El-Rufai said he consulted several political figures, including former president Muhammadu Buhari, Tunde Bakare, Abdullahi Adamu, Adams Oshiomhole, and Bisi Akande, to seek their opinions on the matter.