‘El-Rufai, Malami don’t speak for us’ — Former CPC lawmakers back Tinubu

 

 

Former members of the seventh national assembly elected on the platform of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) have said former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, and ex-governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, have no authority to speak on behalf of the legacy party.

Rising from a meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, the group described Malami and el-Rufai as political “lightweights who carry a negative balance in value.”

The group announced Tanko Al-Makura, former governor of Nasarawa State, as its leader, adding that he was the only governor elected on the platform of the CPC.

Addressing newsmen after the meeting, chairman of the forum, Nasiru Ila, said members remain committed to the values that birthed the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and expressed loyalty to President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

“It has come to our attention that certain individuals, groups, and entities who had no electoral value during the heyday of the CPC have falsely claimed to speak for or represent the CPC, purporting to act on behalf of its legacy and its millions of supporters.

“We categorically declare that no person, group of persons, or entity has the authority to speak for or on behalf of the defunct CPC, except the elected representatives of the party who were duly chosen by its supporters in 2011.

“We, the former elected members of the CPC from the seventh national assembly, and many more who stood for elections, won, and were subsequently robbed of their hard-earned, hard-won, yet short-lived victories, remain the only legitimate and authentic voice of the defunct CPC.

“We are the true custodians of the party’s legacy and the representatives of the 12 million Nigerians, predominantly in northern Nigeria, who entrusted us with their mandate,” he said.

Ila asked Nigerians, especially supporters of the CPC across the North and beyond, to disregard any statements or actions made in the name of the defunct party without authorisation.

He reaffirmed members’ loyalty to President Bola Tinubu’s administration, adding that they would continue to defend the core values of the APC while ensuring the voices of its supporters are not “exploited or misrepresented.”

Ila also urged the media, civil society, and the public to verify any claims made under the banner of the CPC, insisting that only members of the seventh assembly and Al-Makura are the legitimate voices of the legacy party.

In attendance at the meeting were Ibrahim Musa, Ibrahim Gobir, Sanusi Aliyu, Mohammed Tukur, Ahmed Sani, Ibrahim Chachangi, Yusuf Bala, and Garuba Datti, the current APC National Vice Chairman (North West).

Recall that Okoi Obono-Obla, former special adviser on public prosecution to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, had recently dismissed Malami’s claim that the CPC bloc’s declaration of loyalty to Tinubu did not reflect the position of the group.

Obono-Obla said Malami lacks the moral standing to speak for the CPC, having contested an election in 2007 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).